Prevalence and Demographics

1. General Mental Health:
   • Over 1 in 7 adults (15.5%) report that their mental health is currently either bad or the worst it has ever been.
   • 23% of UK adults describe their mental health as average, while 28% rate it as good.
   • Around 30% of respondents feel their mental health is either great or excellent​.
2. Children and Young People:
   • One in five children and young people have a probable mental disorder in 2023.
   • Eating disorders are more prevalent, with 5.9% of 20 to 25-year-olds and 2.6% of 11 to 16-year-olds affected. Rates are significantly higher in girls compared to boys​ (NHS England)​.

Service Usage and Access

• Approximately 3.58 million people were in contact with NHS-funded secondary mental health, learning disability, and autism services in 2022/23, representing just over 6% of the population. Usage varies by age group and region, with higher contact rates in deprived areas​ (House of Commons Library)​.
• Mental Health Support Teams have been rolled out in schools, covering 35% of pupils, with plans to expand to cover over 50% by 2025​ (NHS England)​.

Gender Differences

• More women report struggling with poor mental health compared to men, with 18.5% of women rating their mental health as bad or the worst it’s ever been, compared to 12.5% of men.
• Men are nearly twice as likely to describe their mental health as excellent compared to women​.

Stress and Related Searches

• The term “How to reduce stress” is searched on Google in the UK once every 10 minutes on average, indicating high levels of public concern about stress management​.

These statistics highlight ongoing challenges in mental health across various demographics in the UK, with significant portions of the population experiencing mental health issues and varying levels of access to necessary services. For detailed information and support, you can refer to sources like the NHS Digital and the House of Commons Library reports on mental health.