• Nationally, one in four people are likely to experience a mental health problem in the course of a year.
• According to the Mental Health Foundation:
• Mixed anxiety and depression is the most common mental disorder in Britain affecting one in six of the population
• Women are more likely to have been treated for a mental health problem than men 
• About 10% of children have a mental health problem at any one time 
• Depression affects 1 in 5 older people
• Suicides rates show that British men are three times more likely to die by suicide than British women 
• Self-harm statistics for the UK show one of the highest rates in Europe: 400 per 100,000 population 
• The World Health Organisation 2011, state: of the 2 million prisoners in Europe, at least 400 000 suffer from a significant mental disorder, and more suffer from common mental health problems such as depression and anxiety.
• According to the Department of Health: Mental illness is the largest single cause of disability in our society. Mental ill health is the largest single cause of disability in the UK, contributing almost 23% of the overall burden of disease compared to about 16% each for cancer and cardiovascular disease. The economic and social costs of mental health problems in England are estimated at around £105 billion each year.

The population estimate for Surrey is 1.1million with 681,000 adults of working age. More than 80,000 people of working age, in the County, have mental health needs. Out of Guildford, Waverley and Woking’s 214,900 population of 18-64 year olds, it is estimated that 19,242 people suffer mixed depression and anxiety. Some people do recover, they respond well to treatment and medication without too much damage to their emotional, social and working life. Oakleaf exists to help people who are less fortunate and find their road to recovery more difficult to achieve. Finding and keeping a job is an important aspect of the recovery process and ensuring the right support is provided is vital.

Facts and figures

• People with mental health problems are more likely to be victims than perpetrators of violence – but stigma and discrimination attached to their condition prevails
• People with mental health problems are three times more likely to be in debt. They have the lowest employment rate for any of the main groups of disabled people
• Low self esteem, stigma and lack of confidence are the main barriers to re-employment
• Many mental health sufferers want to work but only 24% actually enter the labour market
• Less than four in ten employers are willing to recruit someone with a psychiatric disability
• People with severe mental health problems are three times more likely to be divorced
• In some cases, social isolation as a result of long term unemployment can lead to suicide
• Recognising Mental Health Distress

Mental health problems can present in a wide variety of ways, depending upon the individual and circumstances. It is difficult to define what is 'normal', other than to use an individual's usual behaviour as a point of comparison. Changes in people's mood and personality can provide important indicators as to how they are feeling. Unusual mood swings or social withdrawal might, for example, provide some indication that the person is experiencing some degree of emotional distress. The information below describes the differing types of mental illness and provides links to other sources of information.