In the field of Intellectual Disability (ID), in which it is impossible to think of recovery as a return to a functional capacity similar to the majority of people, the problem with diagnostic intervention and therapy is that it is strongly linked, more so than other medical conditions, to the improvement of Quality of Life (QoL). In order to respond to the needs of a person with ID one first has to measure, with sufficient approximation, the distance that elapses between individual expectations in different aspects of life and the realistic theraputic objectives. In the case of incompatible interests, such efforts should allow to identify and favor the most important aspects and those that can offer the most satisfaction.
In general communication, the phrase Quality of Life is continually confused with a life of quality, with an ideal that higher quality of existense is more materialistic and commercialized: personal posessions, working career, going to different places, vacations, physical performance, etc. The expression Quality of Life is even often used as a synonym for happiness. The evaluation of Quality of Life instead should aim to individualize in each person the priorities of actual or potential interests in order to enhance, across an increment of satisfaction in these same aspects, the general satisfaction towards life. A valued instrument that seems most interesting is that of the Center of Mental Health of Toronto based on the interpretive model of importance/satisfaction. This model foresees what are definable aspects applicable to the life of all individuals which value the subjective modulation of the realization between important attributes and attempted satisfaction. The principle aspects of life are referenced to 9 organized areas in three nuclei of Being (Physical, Psychological and Spiritual), of Belonging (Physical, Social and Community) and of Becoming (Practical, Free Time and Development). The sample of a person with ID until now under investigation indicates a very minimal score of Quality of Life in the area of psychological and spiritual existence. The concept offers a new perspective on intervention and can alleviate the strains on people who work in this field. In fact, it represents a new instrument of observation of the needs of people with ID and constitutes a useful paradigm for identification, for development and for the evaluation of support, of services and of policies.
REFERENCES
- Bertelli M, Brown I. Quality of life for people with intellectual disabilities. Curr Opin Psychiatry. 2006 Sep;19(5):508-13.
- Bertelli M., Hassiotis A., Deb, S. & Salvador-Carulla, L. (2009) New contributions of psychiatric research in the field of intellectual disability. In “Advances in Psychiatry” volume III, World Psychiatric Association (WPA) (Eds. G. Christodoulou, M. Jorge & J. E. Mezzieh) Beta Medical Publishers, New York (book chapter) Pp. 37-43.