Fundamental Facts about Mental Health 2016

This content mentions suicide or suicidal thoughts, anxiety and depression. Please read with care. There are details of where to find help at the bottom of this page.

The Mental Health Foundation has a vision of a world with good mental health for all. To achieve this, we aim to help people understand, protect and sustain their mental health. Central to this is the need for evidence and data that can help us to answer the questions asked about mental health by a wide range of people – not only professionals and service planners, but also people with experience of mental health problems, communities that experience high levels of mental health inequity, politicians and the media.

To help people understand mental health, we have committed to creating Fundamental Facts on a regular basis to illustrate that, while we still have a lot to learn about mental health, there is a lot about mental health that we know and can act on now.

This report covers: 

  • the extent of mental health problems
  • differences in the extent of mental health problems
  • social factors associated with mental health problems
  • prevention, treatment and care
  • the cost of mental health problems
Fundamental facts about mental health

Download The Fundamental Facts About Mental Health

If you are feeling like ending your life or feel unable to keep yourself safe, please call 999 or go to A&E and ask for the contact of the nearest crisis resolution team. These are teams of mental health care professionals who work with people in severe distress. If you feel affected by the content you have read, please see our get help page for support.

Statistics

A selection of the key facts and figures, topics, and related areas around mental health.
Learn more
Graphic of a man, woman and child, holding a sign of a 50% statistic
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