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National Mental Health Surveys carried out in Great Britain
A series of national surveys of mental health have been carried out by the Office for National Statistics (formerly the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys) and more recently by the National Centre for Social Research commissioned by the NHS Information Centre, the Department of Health, the Scottish Executive and the National Assembly for Wales to provide baseline data and to monitor government initiatives.
Characteristics of the surveys
These surveys covered a wide range of different population groups:
- Adults living in private households: 1993 and 2000 (with a sample followed up in 2001) and 2007
- People with a psychotic disorders living in the community: 1993 and 2000
- Residents of institutions for people with mental disorders: 1994
- Homeless people (including those sleeping rough): 1994
- Prisoners: 1997 (with a sample followed up in 1998)
- Children living in private households: 1999 (with sample followed up in 2002) and 2004 (all followed up in 2007)
- Children looked after by Local Authorities: 2001/2
- People providing informal care: 2001
More specifically, the surveys aimed to:
- estimate the prevalence of mental disorders according to diagnostic category among the adult and child populations of Great Britain.
- examine the varying use of services (including medication) and the receipt of care in relation to mental disorders and their related social disabilities.
- identify the nature and extent of disability and disadvantage associated with mental illness including employment, accommodation, income and debt, as well as social networks and perceived social support.
- establish key, current and lifetime factors which may be associated with mental disorders, such as life course factors, e.g. abuse as a child, playing truant or being suspended/expelled from school, leaving school early with no qualifications, having been in local authority care, and recent stressful life events.