A critique of the Diagnostic Criteria for Psychiatric Disorders for Use with Adults with Learning Disabilities/Mental Retardation (DC-LD) chapter on non-affective psychotic disorders

Background. There has been a longstanding interest in the study of psychotic disorders in adults with intellectual disability. The DC-LD chapter for non-affective psychotic disorders provides operationalised criteria for use with this population. Methods. A detailed, structured review of the literature was carried out. Relevant papers were reviewed to provide a framework for a critique of the DC-LD criteria. Results. Most of the research literature focuses on psychotic disorders in adults with mild intellectural disability and suggests that this group experience clinical symptoms similar to those experienced by adults with average abilities. Although the DC-LD criteria for non-affective psychotic disorders are derived from the ICD-10 equivalent categories they are broader than other classification systems, which may affect their reliability, validity and utility. Conclusions. At this stage, it is important that the DC-LD criteria are used alongside established systems to gather information about their use for clinical and research purposes.