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AbstractPeople with an intellectual disability (ID) are more likely to experience mental health difficulties than others. The United Nations (UN) Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) states that health services should be provided close to people's own communities. This article examines differences in access to psychiatry services for those with an ID according to geography, in the context of a small European country (Republic of Ireland). The sample consisted of 753 individuals aged 40 and over with ID in the Republic of Ireland, with data collected from the Intellectual Disability Supplement of the Irish Longitudinal Study on Aging (IDS‐TILDA). The primary outcome of interest was attendance with any psychiatrist and the primary independent variables were area of residence (health service region and degree of county urbanicity). Logistic regression was used to analyze associations, unadjusted and then controlling for age group, gender and level of ID. Secondary analysis examined factors associated with anti‐psychotic prescription without psychiatrist supervision. Treatment by a psychiatrist was associated with both health region (p = 0.029) and degree of urbanicity (p = 0.015) before controlling for group differences but only the health region was significantly associated after controlling for age, gender and level of ID. Antipsychotic use without a psychiatrist was associated with degree of urbanicity (p = 0.036) but not with health service region (p = 0.989). Geographic factors are associated with access to mental health services among those with ID in the Republic of Ireland. This may be partly due to movement of people with ID away from their area of origin, highlighting the need for locally tailored specialist ID mental health teams and for further research into barriers to treatment. Additional work in other countries will further understanding of similar roles of geographic factors in mediating mental health services access.

AbstractBackgroundThis study explored antiepileptic drug use, frequency of seizures, and the effect of psychotropic drugs with the potential to lower the seizure threshold in persons diagnosed with epilepsy and intellectual disability.MethodsData for this study were drawn from Wave 3 of the Intellectual Disability Supplement to the Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (IDS‐TILDA). Psychotropic drugs were categorised for potential seizure threshold‐lowering risk (low, moderate, high). Binary logistic regression was performed to identify factors associated with seizure frequency.ResultsEpilepsy prevalence was 35.8% (n = 196), of which 57.7% reported a mental health condition. Participants with seizure data classified as taking at least one moderate‐/high‐risk medication were significantly less likely to experience a seizure compared to participants taking no potential seizure threshold‐lowering medication.ConclusionsPsychotropic drugs recommended to be avoided or used with caution did not provoke increased seizure frequency in this cohort.