Mental health - the facts

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It is estimated that around 250,000 people visit their GP about an emotional or psychological problem each day. This is 30% of the total visits made to GPs.

- More about mental health conditions on goodtoknow

The scale of mental health problems

Around 300 people out of 1,000 will experience mental health problems every year in Britain.
230 of these will visit a GP.
102 of these will be diagnosed as having a mental health problem.
24 of these will be referred to a specialist psychiatric service.
Six will become inpatients in psychiatric hospitals. [1]

Mental health problems in children

A survey published in 2000 showed that 10 per cent of children aged five to 15 had a mental health problem. The three most common groups of childhood mental health problems are:

emotional disorders (such as depression, anxiety and obsessions)
hyperactivity (involving inattention and over-activity)
conduct disorders (involving awkward, troublesome, aggressive and antisocial behaviour). [2]

Mental health problems are more common in boys than girls, with 11.4 per cent of boys aged five to 15 having a problem, compared to 7.6 per cent of girls. [3]

- For more Mental health advice, visit Mind's website at www.mind.org.uk

[1] (Source: based on figures from Goldberg, D. & Huxley, P. 1992, Common mental disorders a bio-social model, Routledge).
[2] The Stationery Office 2000, Mental health of children and adolescents in Great Britain.
[3] National Statistics Online, www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/nugget.asp?id=853

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