World Mental Health Day is this Sunday 10th October, and to enhance the discussion and awareness around mental health, we have pulled together some of the most poignant facts from around the globe.
Despite international awareness improving year on year, it is still a topic that all too many of us brush under the carpet – of all adults with a mental health problem only 1 in 8 adults getting any kind of treatment.
If you would like to take one small step to help yourself or your loved ones, visit the CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably) website
here, and become part of the solution. To bring it slightly more in line with our services, do read Mind’s piece on
Money and Mental Health.
You can also order a pin badge or face covering to help raise awareness for the Mental Health Foundation on their
website.
The UK – It’s On The Rise
- 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.
- 1 in 15 people attempt suicide, and men are 3 times more likely to take their own life than women.
- People reporting self-harm went up by 62% between the years 2000–2014.
- In June 2021 alone, 1.46 million people were in contact with mental health services.
Around The World
- 970 million people worldwide have a mental health or substance abuse disorder.
- Anxiety is the most common mental illness in the world, affecting 284 million people.
- Globally, mental illness affects more females (11.9%) than males (9.3%).
- It is estimated mental disorders are attributable to 14.3% of deaths worldwide, or approximately 8 million deaths each year.
- More than a quarter (26.3%) of adults in the US aged 18 to 25 years old had a mental illness in 2018.
- Anxiety disorders affect 40 million adults in the US (18.1% of the population).
Who Is Affected The Most?
- People who identify as LGBTIQ+. LGBTIQ+ people are between 2–3 times more likely than heterosexual people to report having a mental health problem in England.
- 23% of Black or Black British people will experience a common mental health problem in any given week. This compares to 17% of White British people.
- Young women aged 16-24. Over a quarter (26%) of young women aged between 16–24 years old report having a common mental health problem in any given week. This compares to 17% of adults, and this number has been going up.
- Around 40% of people in England who have overlapping problems including homelessness, substance misuse and contact with the criminal justice system in any given year also have a mental health problem.
Mental Health In The Workplace
- 1 in 5 people take a day off due to stress. Yet, 90% of these people cited a different reason for their absence.
- There were 602,000 reported cases of work-related stress, depression or anxiety in 2018/19 in Great Britain.
- In 2018/19, stress, depression or anxiety was responsible for 44% of all cases of work-related ill health and 54% of all working days lost due to health issues in GB.
Children & Young People’s Mental Health
- 75% of adults with a diagnosable mental health problem experience the first symptoms by the age of 24.
- 1 in 6 school aged children has a mental health problem. This figure was previously 1 in 10 in 2004 and 1 in 9 in 2017.
- Common mental heath issues, such as anxiety and depression, are increasing amongst 16-24 year old’s.
- These common mental health issues are about three times more common in young women (26%) than men (9.1%).
- There is an average 10-year delay between young people displaying first symptoms and getting help.
- 75% of children in care have a diagnosable mental health problem.
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