Community-Based Mental Healthcare for Adults with Intellectual Disability: a scoping review of current models of care

<ns5:p>Background Community-based mental healthcare is vital for individuals with intellectual disability, who are at increased risk of experiencing mental health difficulties. Despite this need, access to appropriate care is often limited due to barriers such as inadequate professional knowledge, poor communication, and fragmented services. Current service models may over-rely on behavioural and pharmacological interventions, with limited use of psychosocial approaches. This imbalance may contribute to placement instability and increased rates of hospital admission. Aim To map and synthesise the existing evidence on models of community-based mental health care for adults with intellectual disability and examine how these models are structured, the key enablers and barriers influencing their delivery and accessibility, and gaps in the current evidence base. Methods This scoping review synthesised findings from fifteen peer-reviewed papers examining models of community-based mental healthcare models for adults with intellectual disability, following Joanna Briggs Institute methodology and PRISMA-ScR guidance. Results The synthesis identified four interrelated themes relating to models of care, enablers, barriers and workforce challenges, highlighting variation in service configuration, accessibility and implementation across settings. Conclusions While integrated care models and person-centred approaches show promise for improving community mental health care for people with intellectual disability, current provision reflects a fragmented landscape of partial models rather than a coherent system of care. Substantial challenges remain, including persistent access barriers, workforce limitations, and inconsistent implementation of trauma-informed practices. Addressing these issues is critical to achieving more equitable, acceptable, and sustainable community mental healthcare for adults with intellectual disability.</ns5:p>