HL Deb 29 January 2004 vol 656 cc60-1WA
Lord Acton

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How many people (and what proportion of the population, broken down into age groups) they estimate:

  1. (a)suffer from schizophrenia;
  2. (b)are predisposed to schizophrenia; and
  3. (c)are predisposed to other mental illnesses. [HL879]

Baroness Andrews

This information is not available in the form requested.

There were 37,736 finished consultant episodes in National Health Service hospitals for 2002–03 where schizophrenia, schizotypal and delusional disorders were the primary diagnosis.

The Office for National Statistics (http:// www.statistics.gov.uk) collects information on a systematic basis about current correlates of mental illness, including age, gender, socio-economic status, physical health and other factors, and estimates mental illness prevalence rates.

Information is also available from independent research about the relationship between risk factors and the likelihood of an individual within the population developing a mental illness.