Psychiatric illness and learning disability: a dual diagnosis

The prevalence of moderate to profound learning disability is roughly 3 per 1000 and of mild learning disability about 3 per hundred (Abramowicz & Richardson, 1975). There are estimated to be more than 120 million people with learning disability worldwide. Most adults and children with learning disability do not live in hospitals but at home or in some type of residential accommodation. Psychiatric problems are fairly common, and learning dis ability can be thought of as a risk factor for psychiatric disorder. The presence of learning disability can alter presentation, and psychiatric diagnosis is likely to be based more on behavioural signs than on self-reported mental state.