Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.The Surveys of Psychiatric Morbidity in Great Britain aim to provide up-to-date information about the prevalence of psychiatric problems among people in Great Britain, as well as their associated social disabilities and use of services. The series began in 1993, and so far consists of the following surveys:OPCS Surveys of Psychiatric Morbidity: Private Household Survey, 1993, covering 10,000 adults aged 16-64 years living in private households;a supplementary sample of 350 people aged 16-64 with psychosis, living in private households, which was conducted in 1993-1994 and then repeated in 2000;OPCS Surveys of Psychiatric Morbidity: Institutions Sample, 1994, which covered 1,200 people aged 16-64 years living in institutions specifically catering for people with mental illness;OPCS Survey of Psychiatric Morbidity among Homeless People, 1994, which covered 1,100 homeless people aged 16-64 living in hostels for the homeless or similar institutions. The sample also included 'rough sleepers';ONS Survey of Psychiatric Morbidity among Prisoners in England and Wales, 1997;Mental Health of Children and Adolescents in Great Britain, 1999;Psychiatric Morbidity among Adults Living in Private Households, 2000, which repeated the 1993 survey;Mental Health of Young People Looked After by Local Authorities in Great Britain, 2001-2002;Mental Health of Children and Young People in Great Britain, 2004; this survey repeated the 1999 surveyAdult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey, 2007; this survey repeated the 2000 private households survey. The Information Centre for Health and Social Care took over management of the survey in 2007.Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey, 2014: Special Licence Access; this survey repeated the 2000 and 2007 surveys. NHS Digital are now responsible for the surveys, which are now sometimes also referred to as the 'National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing'. Users should note that from 2014, the APMS is subject to more restrictive Special Licence Access conditions, due to the sensitive nature of the information gathered from respondents.Mental Health of Children and Young People in England, 2017: Special Licence; this survey repeated the 1999 and 2004 surveys, but only covering England. Users should note that this study is subject to more restrictive Special Licence Access conditions, due to the sensitive nature of the information gathered from respondents.The UK Data Archive holds data from all the surveys mentioned above apart from the 1993-1994/2000 supplementary samples of people with psychosis. Further information may be found on the Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey series website; the NHS Digital Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey webpage; and the NatCen Social Research Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey webpage.

The Mental Health of Young People Looked After by Local Authorities in Great Britain, 2001-2003 was the second major national survey focusing on the development and well-being of young people to be carried out by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The first survey, carried out in 1999, obtained information about the mental health of 10,500 young people living in private households (held at UKDA under SN 4227). The 1999 survey has since been repeated in 2004 (held under SN 5269) - see also the full list of surveys in the series above. The rationale for a national survey of the mental health of children and adolescents looked after by local authorities was exactly the same as that for the private household population. In order to plan mental health services effectively it is necessary to know how many children in local authority care have mental health problems, what their diagnoses are and how far their needs for treatment are being met. The extent of the morbid population needs to be known so that the resources and planning can effectively take this into account. The survey was first conducted separately in England in 2001-2002, and then conducted in both Scotland and Wales in 2002-2003. The data from each survey have been merged into one file for this deposit. The primary purpose of the survey was to produce prevalence rates of three main categories of mental disorder: conduct disorder, hyperactivity and emotional disorders (and their comorbidity), based on International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) and Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, Fourth Revision (DSM-IV) criteria. Where there were sufficient numbers, the survey also aimed to provide prevalence rates of type of problem (eg separation anxiety, social phobia etc.) and to investigate the co-occurrence of disorders. The survey also aimed to determine the impact and burden of children's mental health problems in terms of social impairment and adverse consequences for others, and to examine service utilisation.

Main Topics:

The survey consisted of an interview schedule for carers, which was asked of one carer of all selected children. It covered background characteristics, general health, Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), separation anxiety, specific and social phobias, panic attacks and agoraphobia, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), compulsions and obsessions, generalised anxiety, depression, attention and activity, awkward and troublesome behaviour, less common disorders, significant problems, use of services for those problems, impact, use of all types of services, strengths, reading, mathematics and spelling ability. The questionnaire content for children and adolescents included friendship, SDQ, separation anxiety, attachment disorder, specific and social phobias, panic attacks and agoraphobia, PTSD, compulsions and obsessions, generalised anxiety, depression, attention and activity, awkward and troublesome behaviour, chronic fatigue, friendships, help-seeking behaviour, significant problems, and strengths. The self-completion element included a moods and feelings questionnaire, and also covered awkward and troublesome behaviour, smoking cigarettes, use of alcohol, experience with drugs, sexual behaviour and exclusion from school. A postal questionnaire was also sent to teachers, covering scholastic achievement as well as assessments of behaviour and emotional well-being. This included scholastic achievement and special needs, SDQ, emotions, attention, activity and impulsiveness, awkward and troublesome behaviour, social behaviour, other concerns and help from the school. Standard Measures: Goodman, R. (1997) and Goodman, R. et al. (1998) Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). For further details of other pertinent mental health scales, see documentation.

Multi-stage stratified random sample

Face-to-face interview

Postal survey

Self-completion