Abstract
The occurrence and co-occurrence of psychiatric disorders have been more frequently reported in people with Intellectual Disability(ID) than in the general population. The present study was aimed at verifying whether the psychiatric profile of individuals with ID is just a consequence of ID or derives from a specific genotype. The psychiatric profile of 112 individuals with Down syndrome (DS) and 85 with Williams syndrome (WS) was examined. The interactions between psychiatric symptom clusters and the effect of age were also investigated. Participants with WS had higher rates of psychiatric disorders, and, specifically, of Anxiety disorders and Psychosis than DS. However, the psychiatric profile changed by age, since Anxiety disorder was higher in individuals with WS compared to DS in young age, while Psychosis in old age. A relation between the occurrence of disorders, as Anxiety disorder and Mood Disorder, was found only in participants with WS. Moreover, distinct Anxiety and Behavior Disorder subtypes emerged between groups. Results indicate that the genetic etiology of ID differently affects the psychiatric characteristics of the groups and suggest the importance of a targeted psychiatric care for individuals with WS and DS.
Highlights
Psychiatric disorders in early childhood and delinquency in adolescence have been associated with low IQ [1,2] and more frequently reported in people with Intellectual Disability (ID) than in the general population [3,4,5,6,7,8,9]
Results of the present study documented different prevalence and distribution of psychiatric disorders in two genetic syndromes associated with ID
Our results extend the ‘syndrome-specific’ view to the, psychopathology, suggesting development may be asynchronous among different etiological groups with ID because of different characteristics of their brain development
Summary
Psychiatric disorders in early childhood and delinquency in adolescence have been associated with low IQ [1,2] and more frequently reported in people with Intellectual Disability (ID) than in the general population [3,4,5,6,7,8,9] This greater vulnerability in people with ID has received little attention in research and it is still to clarify whether the psychiatric phenotype varies despite a common diagnosis of ID [10,11,12]. The present study was aimed at better understanding gene-behavior relations, verifying whether the psychiatric profile of individuals with known genetic syndromes is independent from genetic etiology. At this aim, individuals with WS and DS matched for chronological and mental age were compared on the prevalence of psychiatric disorders. J Genet Syndr Gene Ther 7: 279. doi:10.4172/2157-7412.1000279 contrasting hypothesis were considered: if psychiatric profile was independent from genetic etiology, participants with DS and WS will present comparable psychiatric comorbidity as an effect of the ID; on the contrary, if individuals with DS and WS will show distinct prevalence and distribution of psychiatric comorbidity, the specific contribution of the genotype will be supported
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
