Common mental health disorders in the UK

What is mental health?

As defined by the WHO, mental health is a state of mental wellbeing that enables people to cope with the stresses of life, realise their abilities, learn and work well, and contribute to their community. Mental health is more than the absence of mental disorders. It is experienced differently from one person to another, with varying degrees of difficulty and distress. Mental health conditions include mental disorders and psychosocial disabilities, notwithstanding other mental states connected to significant distress, impairment in functioning, or risk of self-harmo. Individuals with mental health conditions are more prone to experience lower levels of mental wellbeing, though this is not always the case.

How common are mental health problems

Statistics from Mind UK report that 1 in 4 people will experience a mental health challenge every year. One in 6 people are reported to experience a common mental health problem, such as anxiety and depression on a weekly basis in England.  An individual’s diagnosis may change over the course of their life.

The most diagnosed mental health issues

Mixed anxiety and depression are Britain’s most common mental health disorder and are estimated to affect up to 10% of people in the UK in their lifetime.

Depression

Affects about 1 in 5 people – symptoms can include poor concentration, feeling of excessive guilt or low self-worth, hopelessness about future, thoughts about dying or suicide, disrupted sleep, changes in appetite or weight, feeling very tired or low in energy.

Anxiety

Affects about 1 in 10 people – symptoms can include feeling nervous, restless or tense, having a sense of doom, having an increased heart rate, breathing rapidly, sweating, trembling, feeling weak, trouble concentrating, having difficulty controlling worry.

Mixed anxiety depressive disorder

Affects about 1 in 10 adults each year – symptoms can include nervousness, worrying, having a hard time concentrating or remembering things, feeling overwhelmed, sleep disturbance, nausea, feeling flat or hopeless.

Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD)

Affects about 1 in 20 adults each year – symptoms can include difficulty sleeping, feeling restless, irritable or finding it difficult to concentrate, feeling tense, getting tired easily, stomach problems, a more noticeable or unusual heartbeat.

Phobias

Affects about 1 in 40 adults each year – symptoms can include sweating, trembling, hot flushes or chills, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, a choking sensation, rapid heartbeat, pain or tightness in the chest, a sensation of butterflies in the stomach.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

Affects about 1 in 75 adults each year – it has 3 main elements: obsessions, emotions and compulsions; people with OCD may also develop other serious mental health problems, such as depression, eating disorders and GAD.

Panic disorders

Affects about 1 in 80 adults each year – symptoms can include a racing heartbeat, feeling faint, sweating, nausea, chest pain, shortness of breath, trembling, hot flushes, chills, dry mouth, shaky limbs, numbness or pins and needles.

Insomnia

Insomnia is the most commonly reported mental health problem in the UK – symptoms can include finding it hard to sleep, waking up several times during the night, waking up early and being unable to go back to sleep, feeling tired after waking up, lying awake at night.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

A response to a traumatic event – symptoms can include re-experiencing, such as flashbacks, nightmares, repetitive and distressing images or sensations, physical sensations, such as pain, sweating, feeling sick or trembling.

Eating disorders

Affects between 1.25 and 3.4 million people in the UK, with 75% being female – symptoms can include eating very little food, exercising too much, making yourself sick or taking laxatives after eating. It also can include mood swings, fatigue, thinning hair or hair loss, drastic weight loss and unexplained weight changes.

How can Cavendish Homecare help?

At Cavendish Homecare we are experts in providing mental health homecare for clients who want to remain in their own homes. When it comes to your health and wellbeing, choosing the right homecare package is of utmost importance and navigating this process can be overwhelming. With Cavendish Homecare by your side, you’ll have the support you need to remain safely at home while enjoying elevated health and wellbeing.

If you would like to enquire about our homecare services, contact us on, 02030085210 or email us at info@cavendishhomecare.com.

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