FUNDAMENTAL FACTS ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH 2016

presence of non-psychotic symptoms
in the week prior to interview. It is used
to provide prevalence estimates for 14
types of common mental health problem
symptoms and six types of common
mental health problems, which include:
depression, generalised anxiety disorder
(GAD), panic disorder, phobias, obsessive
compulsive disorder (OCD) and common
mental disorders not otherwise specified
(CMD-NOS). The CIS-R is also used to
produce a score that reflects the overall
severity of common mental health
problem symptoms. A CIS-R score of
12 or more is the threshold applied to
indicate that a level of common mental
health problem symptoms is present
and warrants primary care recognition.
A CIS-R score of 18 or more indicates
more severe or pervasive symptoms of
a level likely to warrant intervention, e.g.
medication or psychological therapy. 19
• One in six (17%) of people over the
age of 16 had a common mental
health problem in the week prior
to being interviewed. This is an
increase from the 2007 survey,
which found that 16.2% had a
common mental health problem in
the past week. 20
• Since 2000, there has been a slight
steady increase in the proportion of
women with symptoms of common
mental health problems (CIS-R score
of 12 or more), with this increase in
prevalence mostly evident at the
severe end of the scale (CIS-R 18 or
more). Men overall have remained
relatively stable. 21 •
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Nearly half (43.4%) of adults think
that they have had a diagnosable
mental health condition at some
point in their life (35.2% of men and
51.2% of women). A fifth of men
(19.5%) and a third of women (33.7%)
have had diagnoses confirmed by
professionals. 22
A third of people (36.2%) who
self-identified as having a mental
health problem in the 2014 APMS
have never been diagnosed by a
professional. 23
In 2014, 19.7% of people in the UK
aged 16 and older showed symptoms
of anxiety or depression – a 1.5%
increase from 2013. This percentage
was higher among females (22.5%)
than males (16.8%). 24
The APMS (2014) reports that,
in England, the rates of common
mental health problems are highest
in the South West (20.9%), North
West (19%), West Midlands (18.4%)
and London (18%). They are lowest in
the South East (13.6%) and the East
(14.4%).
In the 2015 Welsh Health Survey,
13% of adults (aged 16 and over)
living in Wales were found to be
currently receiving treatment for a
mental health problem. 25
In the 2014–15 Northern Ireland
Health Survey, 19% of respondents
showed signs of a possible mental
health problem. 26
In the 2014 Scottish Health
Survey, it was found that 16% of
adults exhibited signs of a possible
psychiatric disorder, according to
the General Health Questionnaire
(GHQ-12) scores. 27
14