Some people have special difficulty in learning to talk, look after themselves and in coping with schooling and preparation for adult life. This disability, once called mental handicap or retardation, is now known as learning difficulty or disability. The disability can be quite mild or so severe that independent life is impossible.Many people will get depressed at some time in their lives, including people with learning disability. Bereavement, disappointment, stress, or illness are some possible causes, but depression may also occur for no apparent reason. Generally periods of depression are short but sometimes they last much longer, when special help is needed.Depression learning disabilitiesBecause depression is so common, it is usually easy to spot. As well as obvious feelings of sadness or misery, symptoms may include a loss of interest in previously enjoyed activities, agitation and restlessness, disturbances of eating and sleeping, lack of motivation and a loss of self confidence and self esteem. People who are depressed may be able to talk about their feelings to their family, friends or workmates, and to their GP. Talking is an important part of getting better.The problem for many people with learning disabilities is that they are not able to express their feelings easily in words. So their actions may have to speak for them. Sudden changes in behaviour or mood, or not being able to do things they could previously do may all be important signs of depression. These changes in behaviour are often mistakenly viewed as just a phase, and so the right help may not be given. Unfortunately, it can be all too easy to forget that people with learning disabilities have feelings, too.In this leaflet we suggest ways in which depression in people with learning disability can be better recognised, and how they can be helped.