Presentation, assessment and treatment of depression in a young woman with learning disability and autism

Summary The association between autism and affective disorders in adults with learning disability (LD) is reviewed, alongside a discussion of some of the problems identified with the accurate differential diagnosis of depression in individuals with more severe impairment. This case study describes the presentation, differential diagnosis and treatment of a young woman with a severe LD, autism and depression. Behavioural factors which were felt to reflect this individual's depressive disorder, but which are not usually associated with the diagnosis of depression, are highlighted. Further work on the development and refinement of a reliable method of assessing depression in individuals with LD and autism is discussed.