The Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey (APMS) series provides data on the prevalence of psychiatric illness in the English adult population (aged 16 +). This survey was conducted by the National Centre for Social Research in collaboration with the University of Leicester for the NHS Information Centre for health and social care.
- in 2007 nearly one person in four (23.0 per cent) in England had at least one psychiatric disorder and 7.2 per cent had two or more disorders
- in 2007 5.6 per cent of people aged 16 and over reported having ever attempted suicide but were not successful
- the proportion of women (aged 16-74) reporting suicidal thoughts in the previous year increased from 4.2 per cent in 2000 to 5.5 per cent in 2007
- people aged over 75 were included in the survey for the first time in 2007. In this age group, common mental disorders (CMD) were higher in women than men (12.2 per cent of women compared to 6.3 per cent of men)
- the largest increase in rate of CMD between 1993 and 2007 was observed in women aged 45-64, among whom the rate rose by about a fifth
- the survey demonstrated a strong association between the presence of a disorder and a low adjusted household income.
