Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-xbtfd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-18T05:53:35.676Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Changing Sociological and Clinical Patterns in Mental Handicap

The 1983 Blake Marsh Lecture

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 January 2018

D. A. Primrose*
Affiliation:
The Royal Scottish National Hospital, Larbert, Stirlingshire FK5 4EJ, Scotland

Summary

The historical development of official provision for the care and training of the mentally handicapped—both adults and children—is outlined, to show the changes between Local Authority and Government. Changes in emphasis between compulsory and voluntary admissions to institutions are discussed with particular reference to changes in the law and the administration of the services. Demographic changes due to longer survival, falling birth rate, and prevention, diagnosis and treatment of individual causes of mental handicap are discussed. Particular reference is made to Down's syndrome and to the fragile X syndrome.

The need for psychiatrists in mental handicap is mentioned along with the benefit of early intervention. The numbers of the mentally handicapped needing specialist care and training are not diminishing, but the manner of provision is changing, and partly reverting to ways tried long ago.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © 1984 The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Abroms, K. T. & Benett, S. W. (1981) Parental contribution to trisomy 21. In Frontiers of Knowledge in Mental Retardation, Vol. II (ed. Mittler, P.). Baltimore, Maryland: University Park Press.Google Scholar
Blinkhorn, S. F. & Hendricksen, D. E. (1982) Averaged evoked responses and psychometric intelligence. Nature, 295, 596–9.Google Scholar
Brown, W. T. & Jenkins, E. C. (1983) The fragile X syndrome. In Perspectives and Progress in Mental Retardation, Volume II (ed. Berg, J. M.). Baltimore, Maryland: University Park Press (in press).Google Scholar
Carter, C. O. (1958) A life-table for mongols with the causes of death. Journal of Mental Deficiency Research, 2, 6474.Google Scholar
Chambers, W. (1830) Book of Scotland, p. 221. Edinburgh: Buchanan & Hunter.Google Scholar
Clarke, A. M. (1981) Adoption studies and human development: Thirteenth Hilda Lewis Memorial Lecture. Adoption and Fostering, 104, No. 2.Google Scholar
Clarke, A. M. (1983) Psychosocial intervention: Possibilities and constraints. What are the questions? In Perspectives and Progress in Mental Retardation, Vol. I (ed. Berg, J. M.). Baltimore, Maryland: University Park Press (in press).Google Scholar
Dell, S. (1980) Transfer of special hospital patients to the NHS. British Journal of Psychiatry, 136, 222–34.Google Scholar
Escalante, J. A., Grunspun, H. & Frota Pessoa, O. (1970) X-linked mental retardation (abstract). Proceedings of the 2nd Congress of IASSMD (ed. Primrose, D. A.), p. 745, Warsaw, 1970. Larbert, Scotland: International Association of Scientific Study of Mental Deficiency.Google Scholar
Garber, H. L. & Heber, R. (1981) The efficacy of early intervention with family rehabilitation. In Psychosocial Influences in Retarded Performance, Volume II, pp. 7187, (eds. Begab, M. J., Haywood, H. C. and Garber, H. L.). Baltimore, Maryland: University Park Press.Google Scholar
Jay, P. (1979) Report of the Committee of Enquiry into Mental Handicap Nursing and Care, p. 32. London: HMSO.Google Scholar
Jensen, A. R. (1969) How much can we boost I.Q. and scholastic achievement? Harvard Educational Review, 39, 1123.Google Scholar
Jones, K. (1982) Realities of community mental care. Lancet, 2, 1210–11.Google Scholar
Kessler, J. W., Binzley, V. A., Arendt, R., Polomsky, P. & Shah, P. (1983) Dynamic analysis of aggression in an institutionalized mentally retarded population. In Perspectives and Progress in Mental Retardation, Volume II (ed. Berg, J. M.). Baltimore, Maryland: University Park Press (in press).Google Scholar
Koulischer, L. & Gillerot, Y. (1980) Age of mothers at birth of Down's syndrome patients in Wallonia (South Belguim) 1971–1978. In Frontiers of Knowledge in Mental Retardation, Volume II (ed. Mittler, P.). Baltimore, Maryland: University Park Press.Google Scholar
Lewis, E. O. (1929) Report on an investigation into the incidence of mental deficiency in six areas, 1925–27. Report of the Mental Deficiency Committee, Part IV, p.37. London: HMSO.Google Scholar
Lubs, H. A. (1969) A marker X chromosome. Amercican Journal of Human Genetics, 21, 231–44.Google ScholarPubMed
Martin, J. P. & Bell, J. (1943) A pedigree of mental defect showing sex-linkage. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, 6, 154–57.Google Scholar
Newgate Calendar (1773) Vol. V, p. 160; Vol. III, p. 131. London: J. Cooke.Google Scholar
Penrose, L. S. (1941) The incidence of mongolism in the general population. Journal of Mental Science, 95, 685.Google Scholar
Penrose, L. S. (1967) The effects of change in maternal age distribution upon the incidence of mongolism. Journal of Mental Deficiency Research, 11, 5457.Google Scholar
Primrose, D. A. (1971) A survey of 502 consecutive admissions to a subnormality hospital from 1st Jan., 1968 to 31st Dec., 1970. British Journal of Mental Subnormality, 17, 14.Google Scholar
Renpenning, H., Gerrard, J. W., Zaleski, W. A. & Tabata, T. (1962) Familial sex-linked mental retardation. Canadian Medical Association Journal, 87, 954–56.Google Scholar
Richards, B. W. (1972) Care of the mentally handicapped. Lancet, i, 1390.Google Scholar
Richards, B. W., Sylvester, P. E. & Brooker, C. (1981) Fragile X-linked mental retardation: The Martin-Bell syndrome. Journal of Mental Deficiency, 25, 253–56.Google Scholar
Rubin, J. (1978) Economics, Mental Health and the Law. Lexington, Mass.: D.C. Heath.Google Scholar
Salmon, B. (1966) The Committee on Senior Nursing Staff Structures. London: HMSO.Google Scholar
Santayana, G. (1905) The Life of Reason, Vol. 1. New York: Scribner; London: Constable.Google Scholar
Scheerenberger, R. C. (1981) Public residential facilities: Status and trends. Mental Retardation, 19, 5960.Google Scholar
Schweinhart, L. J. & Weikart, D. P. (1980) Young Children Grow Up. Monograph No. 7 of the High/Scope Educational Research Foundation, Ypsilanti, Michigan.Google Scholar
Thase, M. L. (1982) Longevity and morality in Down's syndrome. Journal of Mental Deficiency Research, 26, 177–92.Google Scholar
Warnock, H. M. (1978) Special Education Needs. Report of the Committee of Enquiry into the Education of handicapped Children and Young People. London: HMSO.Google Scholar
Submit a response

eLetters

No eLetters have been published for this article.