Mental Health: adults and mental ill health

In 2000, ONS conducted a survey across the UK of Psychiatric morbidity among adults living in private households, which included a small, but representative Scottish sample. Among adults in Scotland aged 16-74 it was estimated that:

• Prevalence rates of any neurotic disorder in the week before the interview were around 141 cases per 1000 adults.
• The most prevalent neurotic disorder among the population as a whole was mixed anxiety and depression (68 cases per 1000), followed by generalised anxiety disorder (38 cases per 1000) (Table 1)
• Women had higher prevalence rates than men for any neurotic disorder (170 per 1000 and 109 per 1000 respectively). Prevalence rates were higher among women than men for most neurotic disorders except panic disorder (17 cases per 1000 for men, 8 cases per 1000 for women) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (8 cases per 1000 for both men and women (Table 1)

Table 1. Prevalence of neurotic disorders by sex, Scotland (rate per 1000 in past week)

	Women (per 1000)	Men (per 1000)	All Adults (per 1000)
Mixed Anxiety and depressive disorder	92	44	68
Generalised anxiety disorder	46	34	38
Depressive episode	30	19	25
All phobias	20	7	14
Obsessive compulsive disorder	8	8	8
Panic disorder	8	17	12
Any neurotic disorder	170	109	141
Bases	506	415	921

Source - OPCS Psychiatric morbidity among adults living in private households