Statistics of Treatments and Services

Sufferers of mental health are provided with a number of care sources. This can be in the form of a voluntary organisation offering support and advise (Click Here to see some useful charity organisations), or a trained counsellor who will spend long periods of time trying to help you understand and talk through your feelings. Click Here to find a counsellor near you.

Services for people with mental health problems:

Treatment and care for people with mental health problems is provided in a number of ways by various sources. People may come into contact with mental health services through referral by a GP or through other services, such as accident and emergency departments, the police, the courts and the prison service. Referrals may also come from services for homeless people and other voluntary organisations. Some mental health services can be accessed without a formal referral.

Mental health services are provided within the statutory, voluntary and private sectors and may be hospital or community based. Also, some GP surgeries provide counselling as part of their practice. Carers, friends and relatives may provide informal care and support.

Assertive outreach teams [1] focus on the needs of people with severe mental health problems and are particularly useful for those reluctant to receive services. Provision includes day to day engagement and active health care and rehabilitation.

(Statistics from Mind.org.uk)

Below shows information related to sufferers seeking help regarding their mental illness. However, we must bear in mind that many individuals do not go to their GP or make arrangements to see a professional, such as a counsellor because they feel alone and embarrassed. The statistics below will show you that you are definitely not alone.

Figures for people making contact with services:

Evidence suggests that one in four people with a mental health problem have not contacted any professional about it. [2] Research indicates that people initially seek help from their GP only, rather than going to see a psychiatrist. [3]

Not everyone who experiences mental distress will come into contact with a service, as the following figures show: [4]

Around 300 people out of 1000 will experience mental health problems every year in Britain.

230 of these will visit a GP

102 of these will be diagnosed as having a mental health problem

24 of these will be referred to a specialist psychiatric service

Six will become inpatients in psychiatric hospitals

Contact with GPs as a result of mental health problems:

In Britain, 98 per cent of the population are registered with a GP and 70 per cent of these will consult their doctors on any health issue in any given year. An estimated third of all GP consultations are the result of psychosocial problems, although this may not always be recognised as such. [5]

An estimated 10 to 20 per cent of a GP’s time is taken up with mental health related problems. This figure is thought to be rising, particularly in areas where the local psychiatric hospital is being closed. [6]

Referrals to specialist mental health services:

Once a person has contacted a GP, his or her needs are usually met within the GP’s practice. Less than 10 per cent of cases are referred to specialist mental health services. [7] There are about 8,000 contacts to specialist mental health services per year per 100,000 population. [8]

(Statistics from Mind.org.uk)

There are a number of treatments available which attempt to help those suffering from a mental disorder. We can see from the table below that antidepressants are a common form of treatment for all three of the categories but not the most frequently used in Neurotic and Psychotic cases; Non-physical therapies are most commonly used to treat Neurotic disorders and Antipsychotics are used frequently to treat Psychotic disorders.

Treatments for people with mental health problems:

The following table shows the types of treatments used for various categories of mental disorder. [20]

Treatments	Neurotic disorders per cent	Psychotic disorders per cent	Suicidal thoughts per cent
Any antidepressants	67	10	21
Tricyclics	48	6	14
MAOIs*	1
Compounds
SSRIs¤ and others	18	5	8
Anxiolytics/hypnotics	48	3	12
Anxiolytics	27		8
Hypnotics	24	3	5
Antipsychotics and related		34	3
Antipsychotics		26
Antipsychotic depot injections°		10
Antimanic		10
Analgesics		6
Antiepileptics		1
Anticholinergic		20
Non-physical therapies	91	31	17
Psychotherapy, etc	39
Behavioural or cognitive	2
Sex, marital or family therapy	2
Art, music or drama therapy	2
Social skills training	5
Counselling	51

Source: OPCS [21]

* MAOIs (Monoamine-oxidase inhibitors)

¤ SSRIs (Selective Serotonin re-uptake inhibitors)

° Depot injections (one larger slow release dose may be given instead of daily tablets)

Note: 10 per cent of interviewees reported refusing treatment.

(Statistics from Mind.org.uk)