ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Psychiatry
Sec. Intellectual Disabilities
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1652988
Factors supporting optimisation of psychotropic deprescribing in people with intellectual disabilities within the UK: a modified Delphi Study
Provisionally accepted
- 1Centre for Research in Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (CIDD), University of Warwick, Coventry, United Kingdom
- 2Intellectual Disabilities Research Institute (IDRIS), University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
- 3Aston University College of Health and Life Sciences, Birmingham, United Kingdom
Select one of your emails
You have multiple emails registered with Frontiers:
Notify me on publication
Please enter your email address:
If you already have an account, please login
You don't have a Frontiers account ? You can register here
Overprescribing psychotropic medication for people with intellectual disabilities increases the risk of adverse effects and has prompted deprescribing initiatives internationally. However, factors that support optimal psychotropic deprescribing in this population remain unclear. The aim of this study is to develop consensus within the UK about factors supporting optimal psychotropic deprescribing using an online Delphi study. A modified Delphi study with two rounds was distributed via Qualtrics XM to a panel of UK healthcare professionals working with people with intellectual disabilities. Thirty-four factors derived from research were presented in round 1 and rated on a 5-point Likert-type scale. Ten factors were presented in round 2 comprising of items not achieving ≥85% consensus in round 1. Participants were able to suggest additional factors in round 1. The key finding was a set of 33 factors supporting optimal psychotropic deprescribing that achieved consensus. Following the round 1 questionnaire, 28 statements reached consensus. Key factors related to attitudes, confidence, conflict resolution, person-centred care, shared decisionmaking, adherence to guidelines, and mutual learning and support. Following round 2, consensus was reached on five further statements, including two derived from free text responses in round 1. Consensus was reached on 33 factors judged important to promote the safe and effective deprescribing of psychotropic medication for people with intellectual disabilities within the UK. Future practice recommendations should promote equitable and sustainable deprescribing practices informed by experiences of carers and individuals with intellectual disabilities.
Keywords: Intellectual Disabilities, delphi, psychotropic medication, Deprescribing, Medicine
Received: 24 Jun 2025; Accepted: 31 Jul 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Adams, Hastings, Maidment and Langdon. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Peter E Langdon, Intellectual Disabilities Research Institute (IDRIS), University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.