Mental Health Statistics Amongst Adults 2007
Mental Health Among Adults In England, 2007 26 Jan 09
Nearly one in four people (23.0%) in England had at least one psychiatric disorder in 2007 according to a survey report published today by the NHS Information Centre for health and social care and conducted by NatCen (National Centre for Social Research) in collaboration with the University of Leicester. 7.2% of people had two or more disorders.
The Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey (APMS) series is the only source of data on the national prevalence of both treated and untreated psychiatric disorder in the English general population.
England’s mental health: rates and trends
• 5.6% of people aged 16 and over have attempted suicide (without succeeding) at some point in their life.
• Women were more likely than men to have thought about committing suicide in the past year (3.4% of men compared with 5.2% of women). The proportion of women thinking about suicide in the last year has increased since 2000, but remained stable among men.
• Self-harming was asked about by an interviewer face to face (as in the 2000 survey). Using this method, the rate among people aged 16-74 of having ever self-harmed increased from 2.3% (in 2000) to 4.8% (in 2007). Self-harming increased most in young women (from 6.5% of 16-24 year olds in 2000, to 11.7% in 2007).
• In 2007, self-harm was also asked in the self-completion section of the interview: 17.0% of women aged 16-24 reported self-harming there, compared with 7.9% of men.
• Alcohol dependence in the past six months fell from 11.5% of respondents (aged 16-74) in 2000 to 9.3% in 2007. This fall was evident in men, among women the rate did not change significantly. Rates of drug dependence in the past year have not changed significantly since 2000.
• Presence of a common mental disorder (CMD) in the past week, such as depression or anxiety, has increased among women aged 16-64 (from 19.1% in 1993 to 21.5% in 2007). The rate in men was more stable (11.9% in 1993, 13.6% in 2007). CMD in people aged 75 and over was also higher in women than men (12.2% of women, 6.3% of men).
• More severe psychiatric disorders have remained stable: about one person in 200 (0.5%) aged 16-74 was identified with having probable psychosis. This rate has not varied significantly since 1993. Antisocial personality disorder (0.3% of those aged 18+) and borderline personality disorder (0.4% of those aged 16+) were also low prevalence disorders. These rates have been stable since first being measured in the 2000 survey.
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