Common mental health conditions on the rise but autism rates steady
A large national study has found increasing rates of common mental health conditions and drug dependency, but stable rates of autism and psychosis.
The Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey – which has tracked trends for more than a decade – has also looked at eating disorders for the first time finding around one in 40 young adults aged 16-24 years impacted in the past year.
Overall, the report highlights several worrying trends in young adults with proportion of 16-to-24-year-olds with a common mental health condition increasing from 17.5% in 2007 to 25.8% in 2023/4.
The study, published by NHS England and carried out by the National Centre for Social Research found younger adults were also more likely to report lifetime non-suicidal self-harm, PTSD and ADHD than older age groups.
And while rates of hazardous drinking in this group have halved over the past two decades, the proportion reporting signs of drug dependence rose from 3.8% in 2014 to 6.7% in 2023/4, the report said.
The upward trend in drug dependence was mostly related to increases in signs of dependence on cannabis, which has nearly doubled this decade, the report said.
Most adults with signs of dependence on alcohol or drugs or who experience moderate risk gambling had never received treatment for it and most had not received a related professional diagnosis.
The study also looked for the first time into the scale of non-prescribed use of prescription opioid medications in England finding that 3.1% of men and 3.2% of women reported having ever used an opioid medication that had not been prescribed to them.
The findings, which come from home-based interviews with a large nationally representative sample of adults aged 16 and over, found no difference in rates of autism since 2007, although researchers said the study appeared to be picking up individuals not known to health services.
Prevalence of psychotic disorder and of screening positive for bipolar disorder have also remained stable over time, the team reported.
Socioeconomic inequalities in mental health persist seen in previous studies persist, the report concluded.
Adults living in the most deprived fifth of areas, those experiencing problems with debt, and those not in employment were more likely to have most of the mental health conditions covered on the survey.
Sarah Morris, research director at the National Centre for Social Research said: ‘By combining consistent, rigorous methods with a nationally representative sample, we’re able to identify emerging challenges – like rising drug dependence – and confirm areas of stability, including the prevalence of autism and psychotic disorder.’
The findings were vital for shaping services and policy, she added.
Professor Sally McManus, senior research fellow at the National Centre for Social Research and professor of social epidemiology at City St George’s, University of London, said: ‘We need to take heed of the near doubling this decade in the proportion of adults with signs of cannabis dependence – from 2.8% in 2014 to 5.4% in 2023/4.
‘The upward trend in signs of dependence may well reflect known increases in cannabis potency.’
Terry Brugha, professor of psychiatry at University of Leicester, who was also involved in the research, said added that most who those identified by the study as being autistic were not known to services.
‘The survey shows that one in 100 adults were autistic, similar to findings from previous surveys in 2007 and 2014.
‘The autistic adults identified in our survey were no more likely to use health services for a mental health reason or receive mental health treatment than non-autistic adults.’
Earlier this month, the Government launched an independent review into rising diagnoses of ADHD and autism, as well as other mental health conditions.
It will look at the reasons behind the growing prevalence and the knock-on demand for services in both adults and children.
Pulse exclusively revealed in March that the review would take place, when the Government said it would crack down on ‘unregulated private sector’ therapists and counsellors.
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