§ Mr. Peter BottomleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will estimate(a) the present and (b) the projected number of sufferers from mental illness in the UK. [125373]
§ Mr. HuttonIt is estimated that about one adult in six in the United Kingdom aged between 16 and 64 suffers from some form of mental illness.
This estimate is based on a survey conducted on adults in Great Britain in 1993. Applying this rate of mental illness to the projected UK population aged 16–64 at mid year 2000 suggests that about six million adults between the ages of 16 to 64 in the UK suffer from some form of mental illness, mainly anxiety and depressive episodes.
It is also estimated that about one child in 10 between the ages of five and 15 suffers from a mental disorder.
The source for the prevalence of mental disorder in children is a survey on the mental health of children and adolescents in Great Britain in 1999. By applying the survey rate to the mid year UK population aged five to 15, we estimate that about 800,000 children in this age range suffer from some form of mental disorder.
There are no equivalent estimates at a national level of the prevalence of mental illness among older people. It is not, therefore, possible to give a reliable figure for the total number who suffer from mental illness in the UK. However research suggests that around 600,000 people aged over 65 in the UK have dementia. Figures for older people with other psychiatric disorders are less precise.
584WThe Department does not produce projections of the numbers of mental illness sufferers in future years. However a survey on the prevalence of mental illness in adults aged 16–74 in Great Britain is currently being carried out, and a report of the findings is due in the summer of 2001.
§ Mr. BurstowTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps is he taking to promote the use of direct payments for people with mental health problems. [125713]
§ Mr. HuttonWe issued revised guidance in February which makes clear that local authorities can make direct payments for any community care service except permanent residential care, and that they should consider this option for service users from all client groups including those with mental health problems. Officials have been meeting local authority officers to explain how local authorities should plan their direct payment schemes in order to reflect the guidance. The Department is funding the Centre for Mental Health Services Development for a project which will aim to promote independent living by implementing Direct Payments for people experiencing mental distress.