Below are some facts about Mental Health in the UK to help highlight the prevalence of mental illness across the country:

• One in four British adults experience at least one diagnosable mental health problem in any one year, and one in six experiences this at any given time.
• The annual cost of mental health illness to the UK economy is £77 billion.
• Mixed anxiety & depression is the most common mental disorder in Britain, with almost 9 percent of people meeting criteria for diagnosis.
• Between 8-12% of the population experience depression in any year.
• About half of people with common mental health problems are no longer affected after 18 months, but poorer people, the long-term sick and unemployed people are more likely to be still affected than the general population.
• Women are more likely to have been treated for a mental health problem than men (29% compared to 17%), whilst men are more likely than women to have an alcohol or drug problem.
• In general, rates of mental health problems are thought to be higher in minority ethnic groups than in the white population, but they are less likely to have their mental health problems detected by a GP.
• One in four unemployed people has a common mental health problem.
• One in ten children between the ages of 1 to 15 has a mental health disorder.   Estimates vary, but research suggests that 20% of children have a mental health problem in any given year, and about 10% at any one time.
• Rates of mental health problems among children increase as they reach adolescence. Disorders affect 10% of boys aged 5-10, rising to 13% of boys aged 11-15, and 6% of girls aged 5-10, rising to 10% of girls aged 11-15.
• Depression affects one in five older people living in the community and two in five living in care homes.
• More than 70% of the prison population has two or more mental health disorders.