Background: This research aimed to investigate the views and experiences of specialist mental health professionals working with adults with intellectual disabilities and mental health problems in Singapore in order to gain insight into the functioning of the local specialist intellectual disability mental health service and how it may be improved.
Methods: Eight staff members from specialist service were interviewed. The transcriptions of the interviews were analysed using thematic analysis.
Results: Analysis revealed four themes (1) Identifying their roles; (2) Ensuring continuity of care; (3) Disempowerment of service users and (4) Improving clinical practice.
Conclusions: Participants identified the challenges they faced working with this population. They highlighted the importance of building therapeutic relationships during the treatment process and discussed the stigma that people with intellectual disabilities face in the community. Recommendations and implications are discussed in relation to service provision, improving staff knowledge and recruiting more staff to work in this field.
Keywords: intellectual disabilities; mental health professionals; mental health services; qualitative research; staff attitudes.