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).
The prevalence of psychiatric disorders in the population with Intellectual Disability varies considerably between different studies; however, all studies consistently report a much higher prevalence than in the normal population. Furthermore, individuals that receive a precise diagnosis of a mental disorder represent only a small part of all disabled people that come in contact with a psychiatrist. Like anyone else, a person with Intellectual Disability can present with emotional, behavioral, interpersonal or adaptive problems that do not constitute a real psychiatric disorder, yet they can still benefit from seeing specialist.