Emotional disturbance and mental retardation: diagnostic overshadowing.
Two experiments evaluated the effects of the condition of mental retardation on psychologists' impressions of emotional problems of a retarded subject. In Experiment 1 we found that the same debilitating phobia was less likely to be considered an example of a neurosis or an emotional disturbance when the subject also was suggested to be mentally retarded as compared to intellectually average. Experiment 2 provided a conceptual replication of the results of Experiment 1 and extended findings of diagnostic overshadowing to cases involving schizophrenia and personality disorder. The magnitude of these effects did not differ significantly as a function of whether the case description suggested schizophrenia or personality disorder. The results validate the existence of a diagnostic overshadowing phenomenon.
D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D006801:Humans; D008607:Intellectual Disability / Q000523:psychology*; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis*; D010554:Personality Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis; D010698:Phobic Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis; D011584:Psychology; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000175:diagnosis