Mental Illness (Hansard, 12 June 1990)

§ Mr. Barron
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to strengthen support within the community for sufferers of severe anxiety-related conditions, and in particular phobias and obsessional or compulsive disorders.

§ Mr. Dorrell
The Government have set out their proposals to strengthen support within the community for all sufferers of mental illness, including severe anxiety-related conditions, in the White Paper "Caring for People". Key elements will be the introduction of the care programme approach, and the specific grant to help increase the social care available for people with a mental illness, which we hope to introduce from April 1991. We are currently consulting with interested bodies on both these developments.

§ Mr. Barron
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much is currently being spent to fund community-based initiatives offering support and education to families and sufferers of phobias and obsessional or compulsive disorders in the United Kingdom as a whole and by regional health authority.

§ Mr. Dorrell
The information requested is not held centrally by the Department.

§ Mr. Barron
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what figures he has as to how many people in the United Kingdom currently suffer from severe phobias and obsessional or compulsive disorders, by sex, age, regional health authority and ethnic origin; and what is his estimate of the cost to the national health service.

§ Mr. Dorrell
This information is not available centrally. Most national health service provision for the treatment of these disorders is provided by general practitioners and out-patient clinics for which figures are not collected centrally.
The latest available information on admissions to national health service mental illness hospitals in England during 1986 for treatment of these conditions is set out in the table. Information on admissions to mental illness hospitals in each regional health authority in England for treatment of some broad diagnosis groups is given in table A6 of "Mental Health Statistics for England 1986: Booklet 7", a copy of which is in the Library. Severe phobias and obsessional or compulsive disorders are part of the neurotic disorders group, which accounted for around 8 per cent. of all admissions. No information is available on the hospital cost of treating the conditions.
149W

All admissions in England by age, by sex, by ICD code

Age Phobic state (ICD 300.2) Obsessive-compulsive disorder (ICD 300.3)

Males

<15 14 4

15 6 3

16 1 3

17 0 2

18 2 8

19 1 7

20–24 17 39

25–4 41 102

45–64 26 67

65–74 8 28

75–84 1 5

85+ 0 1

TOTAL 117 269

Females

<15 11 3

15 5 0

16 0 3

17 0 4

18 1 3

19 0 2

20–24 12 37

25–44 109 156

45–64 96 82

65–74 29 20

75–84 4 14

85+ 0 0

Total 267 324

The figures for Wales and Northern Ireland are the responsibility of my right hon. Friends the Secretary of State for Wales and for Northern Ireland. The figures for Scotland are the responsibility of my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland.

All admissions in England by age, by sex, by ICD code
Age	Phobic state (ICD 300.2)	Obsessive-compulsive disorder (ICD 300.3)
Males
<15	14	4
15	6	3
16	1	3
17	0	2
18	2	8
19	1	7
20–24	17	39
25–4	41	102
45–64	26	67
65–74	8	28
75–84	1	5
85+	0	1
TOTAL	117	269
Females
<15	11	3
15	5	0
16	0	3
17	0	4
18	1	3
19	0	2
20–24	12	37
25–44	109	156
45–64	96	82
65–74	29	20
75–84	4	14
85+	0	0
Total	267	324