2023-05-15 12:21:22
‘It feels like being shot in the heart’ – living with anxiety and a learning disability
This Mental Health Awareness Week (15-21 May), learning disability charity Hft is raising awareness of anxiety in learning disabled adults. Anxiety disorders have been reported as one of the most common forms of psychological distress for people with learning disabilities.
Hft is engaging in conversation around this by sharing the story of one of the people the charity supports and their experience with anxiety.
“I can’t explain how or why anxiety affects me in my everyday life. It just does. Does anyone really know why?” says the person who is supported by Hft at a residential service in Gloucestershire.
They continue, “When I am anxious and depressed, it feels like people are going to shoot me in the heart with a knife. This is something that has been with me all my life but not something I talk about to any of the people I live with. I normally like to keep that private.”
They explain that their anxiety is exacerbated by not being able to find things or being around a lot of noise. They also worry about money and not being able to check their balance regularly – an issue that was recently highlighted as affecting many people with a learning disability in a recent episode of BBC Radio 4’s Money Box.
However, they do receive support from the charity and family and friends, having seen both a Community Learning Disability Team nurse and a psychologist which helped in alleviating some of the symptoms.
They want people to know that anxiety is not only a mental battle but can present itself in a physical way. When they are anxious, their chest starts to feel really tight, not dissimilar to a panic attack.
Research suggests that the way people with learning disabilities talk about anxiety may be different to how people without a learning disability talk about it. Often, learning disabled people may describe physical feelings rather than using words we often associate with anxiety such as ‘anxious’ and ‘worried’.
Angela Burrows, Registered Care Home Manager at the Hft service, adds, “This person requires a good listener so they can talk freely about what is making them anxious at any point in time. They just want people to talk to and understand them.”
They have also attended sessions by Hft’s speak-out group, Voices to be Heard, which offers an opportunity for the people supported by the charity to share their views on the support they receive.
Angela continues, “People we support also need to keep busy which is encouraged through sewing, gardening and house cleaning.”
Hft recently launched its campaigning plan, Voices for Our Future, which outlines four key policy areas it will call for change on in a bid to improve the lives of learning disabled adults. One of the four areas is negative attitudes as, according to research, 72% of disabled people have experienced negative attitudes or behaviour in the past five years.
Alongside the launch, Rachael, a learning disabled woman from Halifax, spoke out about her experiences of negative attitudes and prejudice towards adults with a learning disability and how they can exacerbate mental health issues such as anxiety. As a result of her experiences, Rachael finds it hard to leave her house alone and has often felt isolated.
Recognising the huge impact negative attitudes can have on the lives and mental health of people with a learning disability, she would like MPs to take action so people don’t have to face exclusion and unkindness. She says, “it’s happened to me in the past and I don’t want it to happen to anyone else.”
Rachael simply concludes, “More change and understanding like this would create a happier world.”
Anxiety is the theme of this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week, hosted by the charity Mental Health Foundation. Alexa Knight, Director of England at the Mental Health Foundation, says, “We’ve chosen anxiety as the Mental Health Awareness Week theme this year to kickstart a nationwide conversation, encouraging people to share their own experiences and any helpful ideas on how they manage anxiety.”
If you would like to access resources around Mental Health Awareness Week and anxiety, please visit the Mental Health Foundation’s website.
If you would like to find out more about Hft’s work in campaigning for change, you can do so by visiting its website.
Notes to editors
For further information please email media.enquiries@hft.org.uk
About Hft
Proudly established in 1962 by a group of visionary parents, Hft is a charity supporting more than 2,500 learning disabled adults in England and Wales. Together, we are creating a future where learning disabled people and their families can live the best life possible.
Providing personalised support. Creating solutions for living independently. Coming together to campaign for positive change. Fundraising for new opportunities and a bigger impact.
In 2033, we’ll live in a world where learning disabled people have greater choice. About where they live. The support they need and want. And how to spend their time and money.
Learning disability versus difficulty
A learning disability is different from a learning difficulty but the terms are often confused and used inter-changeably. A learning difficulty does not affect general intellect, whereas a learning disability is a life-long condition characterised by a reduced intellectual ability and struggle with everyday activities.
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For more information about Hft please visit www.hft.org.uk
