FUNDAMENTAL FACTS ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH 2016

Introduction to the 2016 edition of
Fundamental Facts
The Mental Health Foundation has a
vision of a world with good mental health
for all. To achieve this, we aim to help
people understand, protect and sustain
their mental health. Central to this is
the need for evidence and data that can
help us to answer the questions asked
about mental health by a wide range
of people – not only professionals and
service planners, but also people with
experience of mental health problems,
communities that experience high levels
of mental health inequity, politicians and
the media. To help people understand
mental health, we have committed to
creating Fundamental Facts on a regular
basis to illustrate that, while we still have
a lot to learn about mental health, there
is a lot about mental health that we know
and can act on now.
The first Fundamental Facts was
produced in 2007 to mark the
landmark APMS in England. i Since 2015,
Fundamental Facts has become a regular
publication by researchers at the Mental
Health Foundation. This 2016 edition
of Fundamental Facts has been created
to coincide with the release of the
newest APMS results from England. The
findings of the 2014 APMS show that,
for most mental health problems, rates
have either remained unchanged since
2007 or have deteriorated over time.
However, the rates of individuals seeking
and receiving treatment have risen
significantly since the 2007 survey, with
over a third of individuals with symptoms
of a common mental health problem
receiving treatment.
In addition to the full UK report, this
edition highlights the publication
of a Fundamental Facts for each of
the devolved nations in the UK, as
we recognise that Northern Ireland,
Scotland and Wales have unique health
and social care structures and mental
health needs. With each publication, we
aim to strengthen the range of statistics
that we include.
As the UK’s leading public mental
health charity, we draw together not
only illustrative statistics on conditions
and services, but also figures relating
to the social, political and economic
factors that impact on mental health.
Fundamental Facts now also provides
the statistics that inform readers
about mental health equity, with the
inclusion of information on protected
characteristics and socioeconomic
status and mental health.
i
This study is the source of the statistic that ‘1 in 4’ people experience mental health problems in any
year. The Foundation’s 2016 Fundamental Facts report will present the findings of England’s 2014
APMS published in September 2016. (Please note that due to reliability issues with the ‘1 in 4’ statistic,
‘1 in 6’ is recommended with regards to reporting figures of people who have experienced common
mental health problems in any week.)
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