Season 13 • Episode 1026

1026 - A Mental Health Crisis for Adults with IDDs

Mar 23, 2026

14:38

Anxiety Suicide Prevention Mental Health Clinical Trials & Research Children's Health Public Health Child Development Depression

Episode Description

About this episode:

Adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities experience higher rates of anxiety and depression than those without IDDs. Barriers like cost, a lack of trained providers, and societal biases keep many from accessing the care they need. In this episode: what's fueling this crisis hidden in plain sight and what needs to change in order to fix it.

Guests:

Kayte Barton is a former Special Olympics Minnesota athlete, a founding member of the Athlete Leadership Program, and an Athlete Advisory Board member.

Dr. Dimitri Christakis, MPH, is the Chief Health Director for the Special Olympics and the George Adkins Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Washington.

Host:

Stephanie Desmon, MA, is a former journalist, author, and the director of public relations and communications for the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs.

Show links and related content:

Anxiety, Depression, and Care Barriers in Adults With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities—JAMA Network Open
Strong Minds (Mental Health)—Special Olympics
Young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities who participate in Special Olympics are less likely to be diagnosed with depression—Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology
The Implicit and Explicit Exclusion of People with Disabilities in Clinical Trials—National Council on Disability

Transcript information:

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