Key Facts

• 1 in 4 adults will experience some kind of mental health problem at some point each year, and 1 in 6 experiences this at any one time.
• 1 in 10 children and young people under the age of 15 suffer from mental disorder.
• Mixed anxiety and depression is the most common mental health problem in Britain, with around 1 in 6 affected.
• Depression affects 1 in 5 older people living in the community and 2 in 5 in care homes.
• Dementia affects around 5% of people over the age of 65.
• More severe mental health conditions such as schizophrenia and bi-polar disorder are much less common, affecting around 1 in 200 adults each year.
• An estimated 13.5 million working days are lost to stress related sickness absences and stress related conditions are now the commonest reported cause of sickness absence.
• People are more likely to experience common mental health problems if they are unemployed, have a chronic physical health condition or have experienced adverse life events such as relationship breakdown or bereavement.
• People can, and do, recover from mental health problems. About half of people who experience common mental health problems are no longer affected by them after 18 months.