In England, the Centre for Mental Health has predicted that up to 10 million people – almost a fifth of the population – will need mental health support as a direct consequence of Covid-19. Sadly, our work is needed now more than ever.

Below are a few key mental health statistics taken from the Mind website, to demonstrate how important our work is.

How common are mental health problems?

• 1 in 4 people will experience a mental health problem of some kind each year in England.
• 1 in 6 people report experiencing a common mental health problem (like anxiety and depression) in any given week in England.

Specific diagnoses

In any given week in England:

• Mixed anxiety and depression: 8 in 100 people
• Generalised anxiety disorder (GAD): 6 in 100 people
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD): 4 in 100 people
• Depression: 3 in 100 people
• Phobias: 2 in 100 people
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD): 1 in 100 people
• Panic disorder: fewer than 1 in 100 people.

A person's diagnosis may change several times during their life. Some complex conditions are measured by how many people will be given this diagnosis over the course of their lifetime, or in any given year:

• Antisocial personality disorder (ASPD): 3 in 100 people (in their lifetime)
• Borderline personality disorder (BPD): 2 in 100 people (in their lifetime)
• Bipolar disorder: 2 in 100 people (in their lifetime)
• Psychotic disorders (including schizophrenia): fewer than 1 in 100 people (in any given year)

Suicidal thoughts and self-harm

Over the course of someone’s lifetime;

• 1 in 5 people have suicidal thoughts.
• 1 in 14 people self-harm.
• 1 in 15 people attempt suicide.

Women are more likely to have suicidal thoughts and make suicide attempts than men, however, men are 3 times more likely to take their own life than women. In fact, suicide is now the biggest killer of men under 50.

• People reporting self-harm went up by 62% between the years 2000–2014.
• People reporting having had suicidal thoughts within the past year went up by 30% between the years 2000–2014.
• The number of people who self-harm or have suicidal thoughts is rising faster than the number of people experiencing mental health problems overall.

Mental Health and young people 

These statistics are taken from the Mental Health Foundation website

• 20% of adolescents may experience a mental health problem in any given year.
• 50% of mental health problems are established by age 14 and 75% by age 24.
• 10% of children and young people (aged 5-16 years) have a clinically diagnosable mental problem, yet 70% of children and adolescents who experience mental health problems have not had appropriate interventions at a sufficiently early age

Download our statistics infographic

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