New Study Finds Suicide Risk May Be Significantly Elevated In Young Adults With Intellectual And Developmental Disabilities

A new study published in the Journal of Current Psychology looked at suicide prevention and intervention for young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

“Our report examined the suicide risk among young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), a population that’s been historically excluded from suicide prevention research,” study senior author Alex Fields told us. “We wanted to understand what evidence-based strategies exist to support suicide prevention and intervention for this community, and identify where the gaps are. The goal wasn’t just to summarize the literature, but to offer real-world recommendations for the people who live and work alongside this population every day: caregivers, clinicians, educators, and vocational specialists.”

The researchers suspected that the suicide risk for young adults with IDD was both underrecognized and under-addressed in the literature. They also anticipated that standard suicide screening tools might not be sufficient for this population without thoughtful adaptation. 

“One of the frameworks that guided our thinking was the stress-diathesis model of suicidality, which suggests that suicide risk arises from the interaction between predispositional vulnerabilities (the diathesis) and environmental stressors,” Fields told us. “For young adults with IDD, that diathesis might include things like emotional dysregulation or difficulties with social cognition, while stressors could range from isolation to trauma to big life transitions like losing services after high school. This model helped us frame our findings and build a case study that reflects the complex, real-world interplay of these risk factors.”

This project was derived from multiple conversations with clients who have IDD and colleagues who felt underprepared to assess suicide risk. Fields explained how their group noted that professionals from a range of healthcare and education-based professions, such as medicine, special education, counseling, continuously advocated for more resources to support this community. 

“Moreover, each member of our research team has worked in different settings (e.g., mental health counseling, social work, occupational therapy, education) and we all had moments in our careers when we felt unprepared to respond to suicidal thoughts expressed by young adults with IDD,” Fields told us. “We wanted to bring that interprofessional lens to this issue and say: if we, as trained providers, feel uncertain, what does that mean for others without access to specific training or tools?”

Rather than conducting new data collection, the researchers approached this as a clinical review, synthesizing peer-reviewed studies, screening tools, and intervention models to evaluate their applicability to young adults with IDD. They also developed a fictional case study to help bridge the theory-to-practice gap. Their goal was to assess existing evidence and then translate that into usable recommendations that caregivers and professionals could apply in their current practices.

“We found that suicide risk is not only present among young adults with IDD, but it may be significantly elevated compared to their peers without disabilities,” Fields told us. “Factors like social isolation, trauma exposure, co-occurring mental health diagnoses, and transition stress (e.g., leaving school, navigating employment) all play a role.” 

Yet, suicide prevention tools and strategies often fail to include, or even acknowledge, this population, explained Fields. The researchers also found promising guidance for adapting screening tools and safety planning, but these adaptations are not yet widely implemented or tested.

“We expected to find gaps, but we were struck by how persistent certain myths are,” Fields told us. “For instance, there continues to be the belief that people with IDD don’t experience suicidality, or that their communication challenges mean we can’t ask them directly. In fact, some of the strongest takeaways from this review are the importance of asking clear, direct questions, using visuals when needed, and trusting that these young adults can tell us what they’re feeling. That is, if we give them the tools to do so.”

Fields believes it’s time for the field to catch up and that research is needed that centers the voices of young adults with IDD and develops tools with them, not just for them. Clinicians and caregivers also need training that reflects the realities of working with this group, including how to adapt screening tools and co-create safety plans. Fields believes the study makes a strong case that this isn’t a fringe issue, it’s a public health gap that affects a highly vulnerable group, and it deserves national attention.

“Young adults with IDD need to be seen as full participants in their mental health care,” Fields told us. “That means believing them when they disclose distress, supporting their autonomy, and involving them in the design of prevention efforts. The more we center their lived experiences, the better our solutions will be. And finally, if you work with this population, even informally, please know that suicide prevention is part of your role. You don’t have to be perfect; you just have to be present and prepared.”