Interesting facts about mental health

• One in six people - about 10 million people in the UK - are affected by a mental health problem at any one time (The Office for National Statistics).
• Mental health problems are estimated to cost the UK economy over £77 billion a year through the costs of care, economic losses and premature death (The Economic and Social Costs of Mental Illness 2003, The Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health).

• Total economic due to lost work and absenteeism associated with depression and anxiety disorders is around £12 billion each year (The Depression Report: A New Deal for Depression and Anxiety Disorders, Layard et al, 2006).

• Fewer than four in ten employers would consider employing someone with a history of mental health problems, compared to more than six in ten for candidates with physical disability (C Manning and PD White, Psychiatric Bulletin, 19 (1995)).

• Only about 20% of people with severe mental health problems and around 50% of those with less serious problems are in paid employment, yet 80% want to work (Stanley K & Maxwell D (2004) Fit for Purpose: The Reform of Incapacity Benefit IPPR).

• About one in every 200 adults experience a psychotic disorder, like schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, in any one year (Psychiatric Morbidity Among Adults Living in Private Households, The Stationery Office, 2000).

• People with serious mental health problems die on average 10 years younger than other people. This is because of the greater risk of physical health problems and poorer access to healthcare (Equal Treatment - Closing the Gap, the Disability Rights Commission’s formal investigation into physical health inequalities, 2007).

• 70% of people affected by mental illness say they have experienced discrimination at some time because of it (Rethink).

• Most people say they would not want anyone to know if they developed a mental illness (Rethink).