New research shows increasing numbers of people in England with a common mental health condition

A major new report, published by NHS England, shows that mental health conditions are increasing across the adult population in England, with young adults remaining a key group and those in deprived circumstances among the most affected.

This research is the fifth in a series, led by the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen), in collaboration with the University of Leicester and City St George's, University of London.

Findings from the Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey (APMS), commissioned by NHS England, reveal that 22.6% of adults aged 16 to 64 were identified with a common mental health condition, such as depression and anxiety. This has increased from 18.9% in 2014 and 17.6% in 2007, with prevalence higher in women than men at each point.

Other key findings include:

• 25.8% of young adults (aged 16 to 24) were identified with a common mental health condition in 2023/4, up from 17.5% in 2007
• Lifetime non-suicidal self-harm more than doubled from 3.8% in 2007 to 10.3% in 2023/4
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was more commonly reported among younger adults and those experiencing socioeconomic disadvantage
• Use of mental health treatment has increased: 47.7% of adults with symptoms of common mental health conditions now report receiving treatment, compared to 39.4% in 2014 and 24.4% in 2007

Sarah Morris, Research Director at National Centre for Social Research said: “This vital study, which people so generously gave up their time to take part in, fills an almost decade long gap in understanding the mental health of adults living in England. The Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Study (APMS) is essential in monitoring the nation's mental health – it uses consistent methods and assessment tools to enable patterns over time to be assessed – as well as highlighting which groups are most at risk of developing mental health conditions.”

Sally McManus, Senior Research Fellow at the National Centre for Social Research and Professor of Social Epidemiology at City St George's, University of London said: “The Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey is a barometer of the nation’s mental health, and the longest running series of its kind in the world. The results show one in nine (10.8%) adults have self-harmed: this is a four-fold increase from 2000. We need to support effective and healthier ways of coping with distress. Ethnic inequalities persist and, in this survey, those identifying with mixed, multiple and other ethnicities emerged as having some of the worst mental health outcomes. This group had especially high rates of PTSD and self-harm. The study also shows that ethnic inequalities in treatment receipt persist among those with symptoms, with people identifying as Black or Asian less likely to get treatment.”

Terry Brugha, Professor of Psychiatry at University of Leicester, said: “In spite of considerable increases in the availability and the use of psychological and medical treatments for acute and common mental health problems since 1993, when these surveys began, we are not seeing reductions in the number of people affected with these problems. It’s vitally important we understand who is most likely to develop a disorder and who is most likely to access support for this so that we can begin to tackle the issues and fill in the gaps. For years mental health was seen as a stigma, but now that’s been broken down – we’re much more aware that we can and need to look for help. This survey will help by looking at contributory factors and by measuring trends over time.”

Dr Zoe Morgan, Research Psychologist at the University of Leicester, said: “Common mental health conditions were associated with living in the most deprived areas, having problem debt, and being unemployed or economically inactive with prevalence higher in the most deprived fifth of areas (26.2%) than in the least deprived fifth of areas (16%). These findings demonstrate a clear association between economic hardship and mental health problems.”

Dr Sam Tromans, Consultant Psychiatrist and Epidemiologist at the University of Leicester, adds: “The strong association between physical and mental health conditions reported in the survey strongly reflects what I see in clinical practice as an NHS psychiatrist. Some 32.9% of people with a physical health condition that limited their activities had a common mental health condition, compared with 12.6% of those without a limiting physical health condition. This underlines a need for all clinicians to have a thorough grounding in both disciplines. Findings from the survey will help shape and improve national planning for health and support services, and enables us to build an accurate picture of the changes in mental health conditions taking place within communities so that we can confidently identify priorities and how best to tackle them.”