Children and adults with Down syndrome experience all the same emotions everyone experiences, both good and bad. They also experience mental health disorders including depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and others.
For example, auditory hallucinations were reported in 45% of 22 adult patients with Down syndrome and depression [30], and Urv et al. [5] identified delusions or hallucinations in up to 79% of older adults over the age of 50 with possible or definite dementia.
As adults with Down syndrome grow older, there is increased risk of experiencing certain common mental health disorders like depression, anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder and behavioral disturbances. A sudden or abrupt change in mood or behavior patterns warrants further investigation.
We report six cases of schizophrenia fulfilling ICD-10 guidelines, occurring in people with Down's syndrome. In one case, hypothyroidism was associated. Response to neuroleptic treatment was good. Reasons for the paucity of previous reports on this association are discussed.
People with Down syndrome can feel angry, sad, embarrassed or excited. In fact, rather than always being happy, people with Down syndrome are at higher risk of mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety and obsessive-compulsive behaviour than the general population.
Today the average lifespan of a person with Down syndrome is approximately 60 years. As recently as 1983, the average lifespan of a person with Down syndrome was 25 years.
Pulmonary infectious disease is the leading cause of mortality in Down syndrome, caused by both intrinsic (morphological factors) and extrinsic (immune dysfunction) factors. Listed in each organ cartoon are genes implicated in disturbed heart, lung and immune function.
Self-talking, or talking to yourself, is very common in children and adults with Down syndrome. This behavior often makes families worried. Try not to worry! Self-talking is normal and also serves a very useful purpose.
So, are Down syndrome and autism the same thing or the same disorder? No. They are distinct disorders with different causes that may show some similar symptoms, but also differences.
Intellectual and Developmental Symptoms
Cognitive impairment, problems with thinking and learning, is common in people with Down syndrome and usually ranges from mild to moderate. Only rarely is Down syndrome associated with severe cognitive impairment.
They often have mild to moderate intellectual disability and may have specific challenges with attention span, verbal memory, and expressive communication. Behavioral problems such as stubbornness, impulsivity, and temper tantrums may be more common in children with Down syndrome.
The most common mental health concerns in individuals with Down syndrome include anxiety, obsessive-compulsive behaviors, oppositional behaviors, depression, and tic disorder.
Common behavior problems such as aggression, tantrums and "noncompliance" are not part of DS-ASD.
People of all ages with Down syndrome can and do enjoy a variety of relationships with family members, friends, acquaintances, community members, and even sweethearts and spouses.
Most adults with Down syndrome are aware they have Down syndrome. Children with Down syndrome live ordinary lives filled with extraordinary needs. You cannot have mild or severe Down syndrome.
Characteristics of Down syndrome
Often students will have strong empathy with others, good social skills, good short-term memory and visual learning skills.
Most individuals with Down syndrome have mild (IQ: 50–69) or moderate (IQ: 35–50) intellectual disability with some cases having severe (IQ: 20–35) difficulties. Those with mosaic Down syndrome typically have IQ scores 10–30 points higher than that.
About 95 percent of the time, Down syndrome is caused by trisomy 21 — the person has three copies of chromosome 21, instead of the usual two copies, in all cells. This is caused by abnormal cell division during the development of the sperm cell or the egg cell.
Misconception: People who have Down syndrome cannot have children. Reality: It's true that a person with Down syndrome may have significant challenges in rearing a child. But women who have Down syndrome are fertile and can give birth to children.
Parents of children and adults with Down syndrome have observed many of them engage in self-talk or 'private speech'. They may use self-talk to work out situations, express inner feelings, and entertain themselves. Some reports have stressed that this behavior is not a delusion or hallucination.
Previous research has found that mothers raising children with Down's syndrome report lower levels of parenting stress and symptoms of depression than mothers raising children with other diagnoses. This has sometimes been known as the 'Down's syndrome advantage.
Down Syndrome Learning Strengths
High capacity for empathy and social understanding. Strong visual short-term memory. Steady vocabulary acquisition. Age-appropriate self-help and daily living skills.
Down syndrome occurs when a person's cells contain extra genetic material that results from abnormal cell division before birth. Mosaic Down syndrome is the rarest type of this disorder. Its symptoms are typically similar to those of the other types but may be milder in some cases.
Men with Down syndrome are considered as infertile although the causes of infertility are not known in detail yet. Although this constitutes a general rule there are three confirmed cases of parenting by fathers with Down syndrome.