The mental health needs of people with a learning disability

They called me mad and I called them mad, and, damn, they outvoted me! (Nathaniel Lee, cited in Meggit, 2007)

This chapter will again use Lawrence’s case study, reader activities and supporting text to highlight the mental health needs of children and adults, with a learning disability. The chapter will explore how

factors within present-day society can impact on the mental health needs of people with a learning disability. Mental illness is common in our society. Generally professionals are better at recognising it than ever before, it is better understood and diagnoses are made in shorter time spans, making for a better prognosis. For people with a learning disability, however, this is not always the case, they are also more prone to mental illnesses than others in the general population. Our society is fast moving; where social isolation can exist for those unable to ‘fi t in’. It is a society motivated by output, those with useful skills or talents are perhaps the most valued. Beauty and perfection are praised and many say selfi shness prevails. These and many more contemporary issues affect people with a learning disability and can have an impact on their mental health; modern-day infl uences on mental health will be explored.