Saturday, January 31, 2009

Women's mental health deteriorates as one in five experience common disorders

An NHS report has found a significant increase in the number of women suffering from depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts

Women's mental health is deteriorating according to an NHS report that has found that more than one in five of the adult female population experiences depression, anxiety or suicidal thoughts.

The report found the proportion of women aged 16-64 with common mental disorders (CMDs) increased from 19.1% in 1993 to 21.5% in 2007, whereas the rate in men did not alter significantly.

The largest increase in CMD rates, up 20% between 1993 and 2007, was among women aged 45-64. The proportion of women aged 16-74 reporting suicidal thoughts also increased from 4.2% in 2000 to 5.5% in 2007.

Based on the results of a study of over 7,000 households carried out by the National Centre for Social Research together with researchers at the University of Leicester, the Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey is the latest in a series of surveys conducted at roughly seven-year intervals, with previous surveys carried out by the Office for National Statistics in 1993 and 2000.

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