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The Association of Mental Health Providers’ evidence observatory
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35,847 claims
The median age of onset for mental disorders is approximately 14.5 years.
Across mental disorders, the median age of onset is approximately 14.5 years, and almost two-thirds first emerge before the age of 25[170].
Service · Observational claim · From Independent review into mental health conditions, ADHD and autism: final report — Independent review into mental health conditions, ADHD and autism: final report, page 105
The prevalence of hazardous, harmful or dependent alcohol use among adults has been decreasing over the past decade.
Trends in hazardous, harmful and dependent alcohol use, measured using the brief AUDIT screening tool, show that prevalence is falling, especially among young people (Table 1.A.7).
Metric · Observational claim · From Independent review into mental health conditions, ADHD and autism: final report — Independent review into mental health conditions, ADHD and autism: final report, page 98
The proportion of adults identified with OCD using a structured diagnostic interview increased from 1.6% in 2014 to 2.6% in 2024.
The proportion of adults identified with OCD using a structured diagnostic interview increased from 1.6% in 2014 to 2.6% in 2024, with a notable rise among 16–24-year-olds.
Metric · Observational claim · From Independent review into mental health conditions, ADHD and autism: final report — Independent review into mental health conditions, ADHD and autism: final report, page 97
The prevalence of probable PTSD among adults in England increased from 4.4% to 5.7% between 2014 and 2024.
Probable PTSD, measured in APMS using the PCL-C screening instrument rather than a diagnostic assessment, rose from 4.4% in 2014 to 5.7% in 2024[159, 160].
Metric · Observational claim · From Independent review into mental health conditions, ADHD and autism: final report — Independent review into mental health conditions, ADHD and autism: final report, page 97
The proportion of adults with common mental disorders receiving treatment has increased from 23.1% in 2000 to 47.7% in 2024.
Among adults in England with a common mental disorder, the proportion receiving mental health treatment rose from 23.1% in 2000 and 24.4% in 2007 to 39.4% in 2014 and 47.7% in 2024 (Table 1.C.1).
Service · Observational claim · From Independent review into mental health conditions, ADHD and autism: final report — Independent review into mental health conditions, ADHD and autism: final report, page 90
The overlap between common mental disorders and neurodevelopmental traits, such as ADHD and autism, has increased over time.
By 2024, around four in ten working-age adults with a common mental disorder screened positive for ADHD symptoms, and a similar proportion screened positive for autistic traits, compared with around a quarter in 2007.
Context · Observational claim · From Independent review into mental health conditions, ADHD and autism: final report — Independent review into mental health conditions, ADHD and autism: final report, page 89
Adults with common mental disorders are more likely to experience loneliness or isolation compared to those without such conditions.
Almost 60% of adults with a common mental disorder reported loneliness or isolation in 2024, compared with around 16% of those without a common mental disorder.
Context · Observational claim · From Independent review into mental health conditions, ADHD and autism: final report — Independent review into mental health conditions, ADHD and autism: final report, page 88
Adults with common mental disorders are more likely to report problems with activities of daily living, such as personal care and paperwork.
In 2024, more than a quarter of adults with a common mental disorder reported difficulties with personal care and a third reported difficulties with paperwork (Table 1.E.5).
Metric · Observational claim · From Independent review into mental health conditions, ADHD and autism: final report — Independent review into mental health conditions, ADHD and autism: final report, page 87
Self-harm has increased substantially among adolescents and young adults, especially young women.
Population surveys and healthcare records show that self-harm has increased substantially over recent decades, particularly among adolescents and young adults, especially young women[3] (Table 1.A.7).
Metric · Observational claim · From Independent review into mental health conditions, ADHD and autism: final report — Independent review into mental health conditions, ADHD and autism: final report, page 82
The prevalence of common mental disorders among 16-24-year-olds in England increased from 15.4% in 1993 to 25.8% in 2024.
England’s Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey (APMS), using a structured diagnostic interview[133], found that the prevalence of common mental disorders among 16–24-year-olds increased from 15.4% in 1993 to 25.8% in 2024[2] (Table 1.A.5) – a rise from around one in six to one in four.
Metric · Observational claim · From Independent review into mental health conditions, ADHD and autism: final report — Independent review into mental health conditions, ADHD and autism: final report, page 80
The proportion of 10-15-year-olds scoring above threshold on the emotional symptoms scale increased from 21% in 2009 to 36% in 2023.
In UKHLS, the proportion of 10–15-year-olds scoring above threshold on the emotional symptoms scale increased from 21% in 2009 to 36% in 2023
Research · Observational claim · From Independent review into mental health conditions, ADHD and autism: final report — Independent review into mental health conditions, ADHD and autism: final report, page 79
The prevalence of emotional disorders among children aged 5-15 increased from 4.3% in 1999 to 5.8% in 2017.
England’s Mental Health of Children and Young People (MHCYP) survey found that the prevalence of emotional disorders increased from 4.3% in 1999 to 5.8% in 2017 using structured diagnostic assessments
Research · Observational claim · From Independent review into mental health conditions, ADHD and autism: final report — Independent review into mental health conditions, ADHD and autism: final report, page 79
Diagnosis in mental health conditions is associated with more documented benefits than harms.
Overall, the evidence is reassuring, though it does not support complacency. It suggests that diagnosis is associated with substantially more documented benefit than harm, while recognising that harms do occur and deserve careful attention.
Research · Observational claim · From Independent review into mental health conditions, ADHD and autism: final report — Independent review into mental health conditions, ADHD and autism: final report, page 73
Untreated ADHD is associated with increased risks of substance misuse, depression, and premature mortality.
Untreated ADHD is associated with increased risks of accidental injury, substance misuse, depression, contact with the criminal justice system and premature mortality
Service · Observational claim · From Independent review into mental health conditions, ADHD and autism: final report — Independent review into mental health conditions, ADHD and autism: final report, page 69
Misdiagnosis or stereotyping can lead to negative psychological consequences.
Reported harms are associated more often with misdiagnosis, stereotyping or absent follow-up. Diagnosis may have unintended psychological consequences.
Service · Observational claim · From Independent review into mental health conditions, ADHD and autism: final report — Independent review into mental health conditions, ADHD and autism: final report, page 66
Diagnosis can provide relief and self-understanding for individuals.
Qualitative research consistently shows that many people experience diagnosis as validating, relieving and explanatory[93-96].
Service · Observational claim · From Independent review into mental health conditions, ADHD and autism: final report — Independent review into mental health conditions, ADHD and autism: final report, page 64
Diagnostic thresholds are influenced by societal norms and values, leading to variability in how clinicians interpret borderline presentations.
These thresholds are essential, but remain conventions that support decision-making rather than natural divisions within human biology or experience. A challenge, shared across much of medicine, is deciding where to draw thresholds.
Policy · Observational claim · From Independent review into mental health conditions, ADHD and autism: final report — Independent review into mental health conditions, ADHD and autism: final report, page 62
Concerns about overdiagnosis should not overshadow the issue of under-recognition and under-diagnosis, particularly among certain groups such as girls with autism or ADHD.
Concerns about overdiagnosis must also not obscure under-recognition and under-diagnosis. Many people with substantial difficulties have historically remained unrecognised, such as girls and women with autism or ADHD
Policy · Observational claim · From Independent review into mental health conditions, ADHD and autism: final report — Independent review into mental health conditions, ADHD and autism: final report, page 56
Diagnostic systems evolve over time due to changes in evidence, concepts of illness, societal changes, and clinical priorities.
There is no area of medicine in which diagnostic categories have stood still; revision is the rule rather than the exception, and psychiatry has been especially prone to expansion.
Policy · Observational claim · From Independent review into mental health conditions, ADHD and autism: final report — Independent review into mental health conditions, ADHD and autism: final report, page 56
Diagnosis is important as it can provide an explanation for someone’s problems and guide treatment, but it also carries potential risks such as stigma and inappropriate pathways.
Diagnosis is important because it can provide an explanation for someone’s problems and validation of their experiences, guide treatment and open access to support. But being diagnosed may also carry risks, including stigma, narrowed expectations, diagnostic overshadowing, inappropriate pathways, and potential ‘nocebo’ effects
Policy · Risk statement · From Independent review into mental health conditions, ADHD and autism: final report — Independent review into mental health conditions, ADHD and autism: final report, page 53