—Unmasking The Stigma—
Understanding Mental Health & Intellectual Disabilities
Understanding Mental Illness
According to NAIMI , A mental illness is a condition that affects a person’s thinking, feeling or mood. Such conditions may affect someone’s ability to relate to others and function each day. Each person will have different experiences, even people with the same diagnosis.
Recovery, including meaningful roles in social life, school and work, is possible, especially when you start treatment early and play a strong role in your own recovery process.
Understanding Intellectual Disabilities:
IDRS states that Intellectual disability is one of the developmental disabilities. It primarily affects the way people learn and understand. People with intellectual disability can learn and can develop new skills and change behavior but will usually need assistance to do this.
Mental handicap or mental retardation are terms that have been used in the past. These terms are no longer in common use. Intellectual disability is the most commonly used term.
Intellectual disability is a life-long disability. It cannot be cured but the negative effects of intellectual disability can be reduced by appropriate support and guidance, opportunities to learn effectively and services matched to the person’s needs.
Differences between Intellectual Disability & Mental Illness
|
Intellectual disability |
Mental illness |
| Thoughts are limited by cognitive ability and understanding. | Disturbances in thought processes and perception. May experience hallucinations and delusions. |
| Is lifelong and will not dissipate. | May be temporary, cyclical or episodic. |
| Onset occurs before 18 years of age. | Onset can occur at any stage of life. |
| Medication cannot restore cognitive ability. | Medication can be prescribed to control the symptoms. |
| Assessed by a psychologist. | Diagnosed by a psychiatrist. |
– References for information cited:
(n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.nami.org/Learn-More/Mental-Health-Conditions#sthash.Jja37qvV.dpuf
(n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.idrs.org.au/s32/_home/index.php
