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Publication, Part of

Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey: Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing, England, 2023/4

Accredited official statistics

Publication Date:
27 Nov 2025
Geographic Coverage:
England
Geographical Granularity:
Country
Date Range:
01 Mar 2023 to 31 Jul 2024
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Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey: Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing, England, 2023/4

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Introduction

Autism Chapter Update

NHS England is revising the autism chapter of the Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey (APMS) 2023/24 following further quality assurance of the survey data. We expect to publish the revised chapter in the autumn. The autism findings were originally withdrawn on 18 May 2026.

The review first identified a data error that affected the values reported in the 2023/4 APMS publication. Further investigation then identified limitations in the validity of the autism assessments in the 2023/4 survey, that was not an issue in previous years of the survey. As a result, the values are not sufficiently robust to support a reliable estimate of autism prevalence among adults in 2023/24.

The revised chapter will explain the methodological challenges of measuring autism in a large-scale population survey. This includes how assessment data collected through survey methods should be interpreted, and what the findings can and cannot show. NHS England is taking this approach to ensure the publication is transparent, proportionate, aligned with the Code of Practice for Statistics, and classified as statistics in development.

25 August 2026 12:00 PM

Page contents

Summary

This survey screened for a range of mental health conditions, including common mental health conditions (using the CIS-R), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD, ASRS), posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD, PCL-C), signs of dependence on drugs and alcohol (AUDIT), gambling harms (PGSI), personality disorder (SAPAS, SCID-II Q) and bipolar disorder (MDQ). Clinical examinations assessed autism (ADOS), psychotic disorders (SCAN) and eating disorders (SCAN ED). See the relevant chapters for further details on each condition or health behaviour and how it was examined.

Note: the Autism chapter remains classified as an Official Statistic in Development.

Highlights

Key findings

Increased prevalence evident for some indicators of poor mental health

• The proportion of 16 to 64 year olds with a common mental health condition increased from 17.6% in 2007 and 18.9% in 2014, to 22.6% in 2023/4. The proportion was higher in women than men at each point.

• Lifetime non-suicidal self-harm was reported by 3.8% of 16 to 74 year olds in 2007, rising to 6.4% in 2014 and 10.3% in 2023/4.

• The proportion of adults screening positive rose for ADHD from 8.2% in 2007 and 9.7% in 2014, to 13.9% in 2023/4.

Stability in prevalence evident for other conditions

• Psychotic disorder (examined using SCAN) also remained stable since 2007, identified in less than one in a hundred adults (0.5%).

• One in fifty adults screened positive for bipolar disorder in both 2014 and 2023/4 (using the MDQ).

• Similar stability over time was evident for personality disorders (using both the SCID-II Q and SAPAS).

Young adults remain a key group

• The proportion of 16 to 24 year olds with a common mental health condition rose from 17.5% in 2007 to 25.8% in 2023/4.

• Younger adults were also more likely to report lifetime non-suicidal self-harm and to screen positive for disordered eating symptoms, PTSD and ADHD than older age groups.

• There was a decline in drinking at hazardous levels or above. It halved among 16 to 24 year olds (from 40.7% in 2000 to 18.1% in 2023/4) and also fell among those aged 25 to 34 and 35 to 44.

Socioeconomic inequalities in mental health persist

• The proportion of adults with common mental health conditions was higher in those living in the most deprived fifth of areas (26.2%), with problem debt (39.0%) and not in employment (40.0% in unemployed adults and 38.8% in economically inactive adults).

• The proportion of adults with bipolar disorder was higher in those living in the most deprived fifth of areas (3.6%), with problem debt (6.4%) and not in employment (9.0% in unemployed adults and 4.9% in economically inactive adults).

• The proportion of adults with clinically examined psychotic disorder was higher in those living in the most deprived fifth of neighbourhoods (1.0%), with problem debt (1.7%) and varied by employment status (2.6% in economically inactive adults).

Treatment use for common mental health conditions increased in prevalence

• The proportion of 16 to 74 year olds, with common mental health condition symptoms (CIS-R 12+), reporting receipt of treatment rose from 24.4% in 2007 and 39.4% in 2014, to 47.7% in 2023/4.

• Receipt of psychological therapies, among those with symptoms (CIS-R 12+), rose from 10.4% in 2007 to 17.9% in 2023/4; and receipt of medication rose from 19.6% in 2007 to 38.4% in 2023/4.

Academic citation: Morris, S., Hill, S., Brugha, T., McManus, S. (Eds.). (2025). Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey: Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing, England, 2023/4. NHS England. DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.24367.39840

Last edited: 25 August 2026 10:07 am