In any given week in England [2]:
- 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)
But estimates for these diagnoses can vary quite a lot. Also, personality disorder and schizophrenia are controversial diagnoses. These labels can be stigmatising. And many people feel that they shouldn’t be used at all.
Suicidal thoughts and self-harm
Suicidal thoughts and self-harm aren’t mental health diagnoses. But they are related to mental health. Over the course of someone’s lifetime [2]:
- 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 [2]. But men are 3 times more likely to take their own life than women [4].
