1. The extent of illness, injury, or disability in a defined population.
Epidemiology
The study of a disease that deals with how many people have it, where they are, how many new cases develop, and how to control the disease.
Psychiatry morbidity
Mortality
A measure of the rate of death from a disease within a given population.
Morbidity
The extent of illness, injury, or disability in a defined population.
Incidence The occurrence of new cases of a condition. The incidence rate describes the frequency with which cases are identified. Incidence is commonly measured in new cases per 1,000 (or 100,000) of population at risk, per year.
Some terms
to understand…
Prevalence A measure of the proportion of people in a population affected with a particular disease at a given time.
Epidemiology
Mortality
Morbidity
Steve Wood Lecturer
Incidence
Prevalence

2. How common are mental health problems?
The report of a survey carried out by Social Survey Division of the
Office for National
Statistics on behalf of the Department of Health, the Scottish
Executive and the
National Assembly for Wales
Psychiatric morbidity
among adults living in private households,
2000
Nicola Singleton
Robert Bumpstead
Maureen O’Brien
Alison Lee
Howard Meltzer
London: The Stationery Office
Survey of psychiatric morbidity carried out in 2000 by the ONS.
Part of a series among different population groups.
Repeats the first survey carried out in 1993.
How common are mental health problems?
Aimed to estimate/examine -
prevalence of psychiatric morbidity.
use of services and receipt of care.
disability associated with mental disorder.
current & lifetime factors associated with mental disorder.
changes in above since 1993.
Available online –

3. Mild to moderate mental health problems “Neurotic disorders” or
Estimate the prevalence in the past week, per thousand in UK adults, of the following -
Men
Women
Mixed anxiety & depressive disorder
Generalised anxiety disorder
Depressive episode
All phobias
Obsessional compulsive disorder
Panic disorder

4. Serious mental illness
Estimate the prevalence, per thousand, in the past year, in UK adults, of psychotic disorders
Men
Women
Personality disorder
Estimate the prevalence, per thousand, in UK adults, of personality disorder -
Men
Women

5. Alcohol dependence & hazardous drinking
Estimate the prevalence, per thousand, in the past 6 months, in UK adults, of alcohol dependence
Men
Women
Estimate the prevalence, per hundred, in the past year, in UK adults, of hazardous drinking
Men
Women
Drug dependence & illicit drug use
Estimate the prevalence, per thousand, in the past year, in UK adults, of drug dependence (any drug)
Men
Women
Estimate the prevalence, per hundred, in the past year, in UK adults, of illicit drug use (any illicit drug)
Men
Women

6. or, graphically Mild to moderate mental health problems
The weekly prevalence rate per thousand for UK adults
Men
Women
All
Mixed anxiety & depressive disorder 68
108 88
Generalised anxiety disorder 43 46 44
Depressive episode 23 28 26
All phobias 13 22 18
Obsessional compulsive disorder 9 11
Panic disorder 7 07
All “neurotic disorders”
135
194
164
or, graphically

7. Mild to moderate mental health problems are very common.
By contrast, serious mental illness is not.
We have to change the scale to get a proper look at the data.

8. Similarly, but to a lesser extent, with personality disorder.
Again, we have to change the scale to appreciate the differences between men & women.

9. The prevalence of various symptoms of psychological distress that may not amount to a “disorder”.

10. Hazardous drinking and alcohol dependence follow a similar pattern in age and gender.
To get a better idea of the relationship, look at both as percentages.
Remember that alcohol dependence is in respect of past 6 months.

11. As with alcohol, illicit drug use & drug dependence follow similar patterns in age group and gender.
The drop in prevalence between young & middle age groups is more marked.
Again, to get a better idea of the relationship, convert both to percentages.

12. Compare the relative prevalence of hazardous drinking & illicit drug use. . .

13. . . . and the relative prevalence of dependence on alcohol and drugs.
The difference between the two is quite small.

14. Comparing the various illicit drugs.

15. How does Wales compare to the UK as a whole . .
. . . for neurotic disorders?
. . . for hazardous drinking & alcohol dependence?
. . . for illicit drug use & drug dependence?
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