Statistics and facts about mental health

One-in-four adults and one-in-ten children experience mental illness during their lifetime, and many more of us know and care for people who are going through various conditions.

Improved mental health and wellbeing is associated with a range of better outcomes for people of all ages and backgrounds. These include:

  • improved physical health and life expectancy
  • better educational achievement
  • increased skills
  • reduced health risk behaviours such as smoking and alcohol misuse
  • reduced risk of mental health problems and suicide
  • improved employment rates and productivity
  • reduced anti-social behaviour and criminality and higher levels of social interaction and participation.

Since 2013, NHS England has been working to improve the outcomes and experiences of people of all ages with mental health problems, to ensure that mental health is treated on par with physical health. To achieve this, we are working closely with service users, carers, other national NHS bodies and key partners such as social care and the voluntary sector.

 

Key facts

 

Mental health, learning disabilities and autism services

  • At the end of March, there were 1,359,992 people in contact with services; the majority of these (1,051,519) were in adult mental health services. There were 241,926 people in contact with children and young people’s mental health services and 111,737 in learning disabilities and autism services.
  • 321,326 new referrals were received into services during March and 1,675,763 care contacts were attended.
  • 21,196 people were subject to the Mental Health Act at the end of March, including 15,456 people detained in hospital.

 

Adult mental health services

  • Between 1 January and 31 March 3,487 referrals with suspected first episode psychosis started treatment, of which 2,188 (62.7%) waited two weeks or less.
  • 74.4% of people in contact with adult mental health services at the end of March who had been treated under the Care Programme Approach for twelve months received a review during that time.
  • There were 9,681 open ward stays at the end of March in adult acute mental health inpatient care , and 5,718 open ward stays in specialised adult mental health services .

 

Children and young people in contact with mental health services

  • Between 1 January and 31 March 3,142 new referrals for people aged under 19 with eating disorder issues were received.
  • There were 463,429 referrals active at any point during March for people aged under 19, of which 70,495 were new referrals and 51,643 people under 19 were discharged during the month.
  • Of the 1,281,098 in contact with mental health services at the end of March, 339,850 (26.5% ) were aged under 19.

 

Annual numbers of mental health, learning disabilities and autism services

  • Between 01 April 2018 and 31 March 2019 there were 2,726,721 people in contact with mental health services. Of these 684,904 were aged 18 or under.
  • Between 01 April 2018 and 31 March 2019 there were 104,035 people in contact with mental health services who were admitted to a mental health hospital. Of these 4,987 were aged 18 or under.