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A needs analysis for the provision of a speech and language therapy service to adults with mental health disorders

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 June 2014

Irene Walsh ,
Julie Regan ,
Rebecca Sowman ,
Brian Parsons  and
A. Paula McKay
Irene Walsh*
Affiliation:
School of Linguistic, Communication and Speech Sciences, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland
Julie Regan
Affiliation:
Speech & Language Therapy Department, Adelaide and Meath Hospital, Tallaght, Dublin 24, Ireland
Rebecca Sowman
Affiliation:
Speech and Language Therapy Department, Adelaide and Meath Hospital, Tallaght, Dublin 24, Ireland
Brian Parsons
Affiliation:
Liaison Psychiatry on the South Thames (West) & St George's Higher Training Scheme in General Adult & Old Age Psychiatry, London
A. Paula McKay
Affiliation:
Adelaide Meath Hospital, Tallaght, Dublin 24/HSE-South West Area, Ireland
*
Correspondence Email: ipwalsh@tcd.ie
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Abstract

Objectives: To examine a sample of adults with mental health disorders attending at an area psychiatric service, for the presence of impairments in language, communication and swallowing, using a test battery administered by speech and language therapists.

Method: The study surveyed a randomly selected sample (n = 60) of patients from an acute psychiatric inpatient unit and associated community services, using several standardised measures of language, communication and swallowing.

Results: On this test battery, over 80% (50/60) of subjects studied demonstrated impairment in language; while over 60% (37/60) presented with impairment in communication and discourse. Over 30% (18/58) of subjects assessed showed some impairment in swallowing.

Conclusion: Use of this test battery confirmed the presence of language, communication and swallowing impairments in many patients in this sample of attenders at a general psychiatry service. We suggest that this study provides evidence for a (currently unmet) need for specialist speech and language therapy assessment and support among this patient population.

Keywords

Speech and language therapyCommunicationLanguageSwallowingMental health disordersPsychiatric service
Type
Original Papers
Information
Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine , Volume 24 , Issue 3 , September 2007 , pp. 89 - 93
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2007

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