The rising rates of common mental health conditions across all ages

Wes Streeting has ordered a review into the diagnosis of common mental health conditions, ADHD and autism, amid concern that over-diagnosis is driving a surge in benefit claims for ill health, particularly among young people.

There has undoubtedly been a rise in people seeking treatment for common mental health conditions, as well as ADHD and autism, but to what extent has there been an increase in the number of people experiencing mental ill health? Newly published data from the adult psychiatric morbidity survey helps to provide some answers to this question.

Survey respondents are drawn from the general population, not just people seeking treatment. More than 6,900 people in England aged 16 and over were included in the latest survey, and results are weighted to be representative of the general population. Since 1993, the surveys have used a standardised assessment measure, and so are not dependent on individuals’ awareness of their condition, or changing diagnostic criteria.

The chart below shows the proportion of the population with “severe symptoms” of a common mental health condition at each of the five time points when the survey was conducted. Severe symptoms are defined by having a score of 18+ on the CIS-R scale, a standardised assessment tool, which “denotes more severe or pervasive symptoms of a level very likely to warrant intervention such as medication or psychological therapy”.   

The proportion of the population with a common mental health condition has increased over the past 30 years in all age groups. Rates in the 16-24 and 25-34 age groups are notably higher in the latest survey, with 14.2% of people aged 16-24 having severe symptoms. 

A higher proportion of people with severe symptoms are now receiving treatment – 57% in the latest survey compared with 33% in 2000 when this was first collected, due largely to an increase in people prescribed medication. But with 43% of people not currently receiving any treatment, it’s likely that many people’s needs are not being met.

There are likely to be multiple reasons for the rise in people with mental health problems – including deprivation, debt problems as a result of increased costs of living, and the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic exacerbating already growing rates of mental ill health in younger people.

While growing awareness of mental health problems may also be resulting in more people seeking treatment, it is essential that policymakers recognise and address the underlying increase in poor mental health.