Mental Health Concerns in Individuals With Developmental Disabilities: Improving Mental Health Literacy Trainings for Caregivers

Although approximately a third of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) also experience a mental health concern, caregivers often miss early identification of these issues. In this perspective piece, we present an outline for a mental health literacy program that can enhance existing training approaches for caregivers of individuals with IDD. We describe three processes of the Mental Health Awareness and Advocacy (MHAA) curriculum and detail how it provides a strong preventative model to train caregivers to increase their mental health literacy. In describing these processes, we provide illustrative examples and conclude by providing a brief vignette that highlights how this process could be used by caregivers to help reduce mental health concerns in individuals with IDD.