mental handicap
noun dated or offensive
A condition in which the intellectual capacity of a person is permanently lowered or underdeveloped to an extent which prevents normal function in society.Without research, advances in understanding of the causes and care of those with mental handicaps or psychiatric conditions may be undermined....
- It takes a special person to really befriend someone with a mental handicap.
- So there's more to riding - it's why they use horses for helping people with handicaps, physical handicaps and mental handicaps.
Usage
The terms mental handicap and mentally handicapped, though widely used a few decades ago, have fallen out of favour in recent years and have been largely replaced in official contexts by terms such as learning difficulties. See learning difficulties (usage).