15% of UK suffer from common mental health disorders
By Rachel O'Rourke
Up to 15% of the population may be affected by common mental health disorders at any one time, according to a 
new book compiled by the NHS’s National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) alongside the National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health.
In the Common Mental Health Disorders document, published with the help of the Royal College of Psychiatrists (RCPsych), it concluded that such disorders can also be associated with considerable long-term disability.
The statement from NICE said: “The focus of this guideline is to improve access to services and recognition of common mental health disorders in adults, and provide advice on the principles that need to be adopted to develop appropriate referral and local care pathways.
“The common mental health disorders covered here are depression, generalised anxiety disorder, panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder. The guideline is aimed at primary care practitioners, managers and commissioners.
“The vast majority of depressive and anxiety disorders that are diagnosed are treated in primary care, but recognition of anxiety disorders, in particular, is poor.”
Although separate full NICE guidelines already exist for the management of most of such disorders.
NICE added: “The book is in bringing together treatment and referral advice from the existing guidelines and combining it with new recommendations on access, identification, and developing care pathways. A new development method was formulated specifically for this guideline and this is explained.”
The book is available from the (RCPsych) website and costs £45.
