38% in UK ‘suffer from mental disorder’

Almost two in five Europeans suffer from a mental disorder, with the most common being anxiety, insomnia and depression, according to new research.

The study, which covers 30 countries including the UK, found 38.2% of people are suffering with mental disorders, often without the right treatment.

While rates are not thought to be increasing compared with 2005, the proportion of people treated has also not improved, standing at around one in three of all cases.

Professor Hans Ulrich Wittchen, one of the study authors, from Dresden University of Technology in Germany, said men and women had about the same rates of mental health problems overall, but experienced different issues. Women are around two-and-a-half times more likely than men to suffer depression, particularly during their child-bearing years, he said.

Overall rates of depression in women have risen since the 1970s and are now about double.

“In depression we see 2.6 times higher rates among females, which interestingly and importantly clusters in the reproductive years between the ages of 16 and 42,” he said. “It’s not this increase after 45 – getting older – that some people think it is. In females, we see these higher rates of depressive episodes at times when they sometimes have their babies – they have to cope with the double responsibility of job and family.”

The study, published by the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology, covered 514 million people and all major mental health disorders were included, including depression, bipolar disorders, anxiety disorders, insomnia, addiction and schizophrenia. Neurological disorders, such as stroke, epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease and multiple sclerosis, were also included.

The most frequent disorders seen in people were anxiety disorders (14%), insomnia (7%) and major depression (6.9%). Attention-deficit and hyperactivity disorders in young people accounted for 5% while dementia accounted for 1% of those aged 60 to 65 and 30% of those aged 85 and over.

Paul Farmer, chief executive of Mind, said: “This study demonstrates that the treatment and management of mental health problems and neurological disorders is the biggest issue currently facing healthcare provision across Europe.

“With only one in three people with a mental health problem receiving treatment for their condition, it is essential that significant investment is made into improving these rates so that mental health is given a parity of esteem with physical health.”