FUNDAMENTAL FACTS ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH 2016

2.2.3 Disability
2.2.3.1 Learning disability
The definition of learning and intellectual
disability refers to limited functioning in
three areas: 246
• Social skills (e.g. communicating with
others)
• Conceptual skills (e.g. reading and
writing)
• Practical ability (e.g. clothing/
bathing oneself)
These terms are often used
interchangeably. Mental health problems
among people with a learning disability
are often overlooked, underdiagnosed
and left untreated as a result of poor
understanding, awareness, evidence
in this area and symptoms mistakenly
being attributed as the person’s learning
disability. The statistics presented in this
section highlight that this is an important
area to consider, with the prevalence
of mental health problems presenting
as higher in this group compared to the
general population.
• From 2013 census data, it is
estimated that there are 900,900
adults (aged 18 and older) with
intellectual disabilities in England,
with 206,132 (23%) known to social
services. 247
• In 2014, there were 26,036 adults
with intellectual disabilities across
Scotland – the equivalent of six
people per 1,000 in the general
population. 248
• As of March 2015, there are 15,010
people registered with intellectual
disabilities in Wales, of which 86%
live in community placements and
14% in residential establishments. 249
• According to the 2011 census
figures, there are 40,177 people
in Northern Ireland who reported
having a learning difficulty,
an intellectual difficulty, or a
social or behavioural difficulty
– the equivalent of 2.2% of the
population. 250
• According to the APMS (2014),
people with lower intellectual ability
had higher rates of symptoms of
common mental health problems
(25%) compared to those with
average (17.2%) or above-average
(13.4%) intellectual functioning. 251
• People with learning disabilities
present with a higher prevalence of
mental health problems compared
to those without. In a 2007 UK
population-based study of 1,023
people with learning disabilities, it
was found that 54% have a mental
health problem. 252
• The prevalence of diagnosed mental
health conditions is estimated
to be 36% among children with
intellectual disabilities compared
to 8% among children without.
Increased prevalence is particularly
marked for ASD, ADHD and
conduct disorders. 253
• Increased risk of exposure to social
disadvantage has been associated
with increased prevalence of mental
health problems. 254
• Public Health England estimates
that, in 2015, up to 35,000 adults
with a learning disability were
prescribed an antipsychotic, an
antidepressant or both without
appropriate clinical justification. 255
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