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Facts about Mental Health

Mental health problems are more common than you may think.

   *Around 1 in 6 people have a treatable mental illness,
   *1 in 4 GP consultations include elements of mental health
   *1 in 10 children aged 5 to 15 will need professional help for their mental health.
   *Over 4,000 people take their own lives each year.
   *Around 16% of working age adults have a mental health problem
    *The North West has the highest level of hospital admissions for depression,
     anxiety and schizophrenia.
   *The North West has  the
           2nd highest rate of people on incapacity benefit  for mental or behavioural
           disorders
           2nd highest suicide rate for men and women under 75
           3rd highest rate of drug misuse

Only 20% of people in the North West with mental health problems are employed.

 

More Facts

  • Around a quarter of all the drugs prescribed by the NHS are for mental health problems

 

  • 85% of the general public think that people with mental ill health have been the subject of discrimination for too long. 90% agree that we need to adopt a far more tolerant attitude towards people with mental ill health

 

  • Stress-related absences account for half of all sicknesses from work.

 

  • Evidence suggests that 1 in 4 people with 'mental illness' have not consulted a professional about their mental health.

 

  • Official figures suggest that 20% of women and 14% of men in England have some form of 'mental illness.

 

  • By 2020, depression will be second only to chronic heart disease as an international health burden (in terms of cause of death, disability, incapacity to work and the toll on medical resources).

 

  • Only 1 in 4 people experiencing mental ill-health receive treatment

 

  • A third of GPs’ time is spent dealing with mental health issues.

 

  • Mental ill-health costs the UK economy £100 billion a year, yet only £1 in every £15 spent on health research is devoted to mental health.

 

  • The rate of common mental health problems, typically depression and anxiety, has risen by a fifth among middle aged women since 1993

 

  • There has been an 80 per cent increase in self-harm among women aged between 16 and 24 since 2000

 

  • Depression is more common in older people than dementia