What is the difference between learning disability and mental illness?
Individuals with a learning disability have an intellectual disability generally acquired at birth and are likely to have some functional skills difficulties. There is no ‘cure’ or treatment to reverse the intellectual disability. People with a mental illness generally have normal intelligence, experienced a normal upbringing and become mentally ill later in life. When psychiatrically disordered, their personality may change for a time or become unstable and they may even lose contact with reality and be in a fantasy world. Acute illness may need to be treated in hospital. There are many successful treatments for psychiatric illness. (See section on What is Learning Disability?).
