The lack of adequate treatment opportunities for mentally retarded people with emotional disturbances has been well documented (11,14,9,16,8,2 1,10,19). A high prevalence of psychopathology, estimated at 4- 5 times that of the non-retarded population (8,10) identifies a population extremely vulnerable to emotional problems. Although advocates from many disciplines, including psychiatry, (15) have worked diligently since the early 20th Century to eliminate massive institutionalization, sterilization, and isolation of the retarded from society\u27s defensive arsenal, the mental healthfield, especially psychiatry, has failed to meet current needs with appropriate clinical services
