Learning Disability and Mental Health Status 2025

 

United Kingdom (UK):

·                     Use of Mental Health, Learning Disability, and Autism Services:

o                  In the year to March 2023, people with Mixed ethnicity were the most likely to use NHS mental health, learning disability, and autism services (7,499 people per 100,000).

o                  This is more than twice as likely as Asian people (3,133 people per 100,000), with the lowest rates among aggregated ethnic groups.

o                  Excluding "other" categories (which can be overestimates due to unknown ethnicity), the Mixed White and Black Caribbean ethnic group had the highest rate (5,853 people per 100,000) in the year to March 2023, while the Chinese ethnic group had the lowest (1,883 people per 100,000).

·                     Health Inequalities and Mortality:

o                  People from ethnic minority backgrounds with a learning disability (e.g., Black, Black British, Caribbean, African, and Asian British) are more likely to die younger than those who are White.

o                  The 2021 Learning from lives and deaths of people with a learning disability and autistic people (LeDeR) report highlighted that only 10% of people from an 'Asian/Asian British' background died aged 65 or over in 2021, compared to 42% of people from a 'White' background.

o                  Another report found that 42% of White British people with a learning disability died aged 65 or over, compared with just 7% of people from Asian British (Indian, Pakistani, and Bangladeshi heritage) and 5% of Black ethnic groups.

·                     Mental Health Treatment Rates:

o                  Despite a higher prevalence of mental health problems, Black adults in England have the lowest mental health treatment rate of any ethnic group, at 6% (compared to 13% in the White British group), according to a 2014 survey.

o                  People from Black and Minority Ethnic communities are less likely to receive support for their mental health.

o                  Asian or Asian British-Pakistani men had the lowest recovery rates for IAPT (Improving Access to Psychological Therapies) talking therapies.

·                     Prevalence of Physical Disability:

o                  Individuals from South Asian backgrounds, particularly women, report much higher levels of physical disability throughout adulthood compared to White British people. Older South Asian women (over 60) were four times more likely to report a physical disability than older White British women of the same age.

o                  African Caribbean women also showed elevated odds of poor physical functioning compared to White British women from middle age onwards.

United States (US):

·                     Disparities in Learning Disability Identification and Special Education:

o                  Students of color, with the exception of Asian students, are identified for special education at a higher rate than their White peers.

o                  American Indian and Alaska Native children receive special education at twice the rate of the general student population.

o                  Black students are 40% more likely to be identified with a disability compared to all other students.

o                  Non-Hispanic Black children were more likely to be diagnosed with learning disabilities than their White and Hispanic counterparts, according to CDC data from 2016-2018.

o                  Black students are also more likely to face disciplinary removal from class rather than treatment for behaviors resulting from learning disorders.

·                     Mental Health Prevalence and Treatment:

o                  While most racial/ethnic minority groups overall have similar or fewer mental disorders than White individuals, the consequences of mental illness can be more long-lasting for minorities.

o                  For example, in 2015, among adults with any mental illness, 48% of White individuals received mental health services, compared with 31% of Black and Hispanic individuals, and 22% of Asian individuals.

o                  American Indians/Alaska Natives report higher rates of posttraumatic stress disorder and alcohol dependence than any other ethnic/racial group.

o                  Black adults had a 2.2 times higher rate of substance use disorder (SUD) and a 1.9 times higher rate of co-occurring low-to-moderate mental illness and substance use disorder (LMMI SUD) compared to Asian adults in 2021.

o                  Hispanic adults had a 1.7 times higher rate of having had a major depressive episode in the last year compared to Asian adults (7.8% vs. 4.7%) in 2021.

·                     Disability Prevalence:

o                  In the US, 14% of working-age African Americans have a disability compared with 11% of Non-Hispanic Whites and 8% of Latinos. African Americans are more likely than Non-Hispanic Whites to have a disability in every age group.

o                  Black (non-Hispanic) adults (31.8%) and those reporting Other or multiple-race non-Hispanic identity (42.9%) had higher rates of disability-related health conditions, while Asian (non-Hispanic) adults reported the lowest rates (17.2%).

These statistics underscore the complex interplay of learning disabilities, mental health, and racial/ethnic disparities, highlighting the critical need for culturally competent and accessible support services.

Sources

In 2025, research continues to show a strong correlation between learning disabilities and mental health challenges across the US, UK, and worldwide. People with learning disabilities are more likely to experience mental health issues, including anxiety, depression, and other conditions. The prevalence of mental health problems is significantly higher in individuals with learning disabilities compared to the general population. 

 

Key Statistics: