Facts about mental health that may shock you

If you ever wonder why I am writing this blog, it is because of the information I present to you below. The statistics are high and the people are low, we need to change this. I am optimistic that we can make a change, and tip the scales the other way if we all support one another.

The statistics in this blog have come from mental health charity Mind – if you haven’t heard of them, check them out because their website is filled with lots of helpful resources! The information has also been taken from the Mental Health Foundation.

If you are struggling yourself and you want to seek help please take a look at the helplines section on my website, where I have provided the contact details for lots of UK services. You can also talk to your GP.

UK statistics

1 in 4 people will experience a mental health problem each year. These people are your friends, colleagues, family members, your neighbours, that person looking down on the bus and the person serving your coffee. It’s so common.

This next statistics are worrying because it demonstrates that some people are suffering in silence. In England, 1 in 6 people report experiencing a common mental health problem each week.  

Reports from both England and Wales suggest that approximately 1 in 8 adults with a mental health problem are currently receiving treatment. What about the other four people?

In England women are almost twice as likely to be diagnosed with anxiety disorders as men. I’m not overly surprised by this statistic, however the next figures are shocking.

In 2017, 5,821 suicides were recorded in Great Britain. Of these, 75% were male and 25% were female.

Suicide is the most common cause of death for men aged 20-49 years in England and Wales. This is so upsetting because it is so preventable, but yet there’s still less people dying from terminal diseases.

Between 2003 and 2013, 18,220 people with mental health problems took their own life in the UK.

One person in fifteen had made a suicide attempt at some point in their life.

10% of mothers and 6% of fathers in the UK have mental health problems at any given time. These people do such an incredible job raising their children, but sometimes they struggle themselves.   

Mixed anxiety and depression has been estimated to cause one fifth of days lost from work in Britain. Not only is this an emotional cost, it’s also a financial cost to businesses, which hopefully you’d think would motivate change.

Evidence suggests that 12.7% of all sickness absence days in the UK can be attributed to mental health conditions. If this is the case, then surely more can be done for the people working in the UK.

You may have started to hear more about mental health in the news recently, with high profile people like the Royal Family championing conversations.

Anything that you can do to help and support the people around you would be fantastic. Whether it is having a cuppa tea and listening to a friend, or making someone realise their importance in your life. It’s important we listen, it’s important we turn up when we’re needed and it’s important we one-by-one attempt change these statistics.