Who does it affect?

Mental illness can affect people of all ages and walks of life as it can be triggered by physical, social, environmental or/and genetic factors.

0300 5000 927 & advice@rethink.org - our advice team provide mental health information & advice on practical problems from Monday to Friday 10am – 1pm.

Some people are more at risk of experiencing mental ilness than others. There are some conditions that are more or less likely depending on your gender.

For example:

  • Eating disorders are more common in women than men.
  • Personality disorders (PD) are diagnosed in more men than women.

Mental health problems are often more likely to develop at certain ages. Therefore how old you are can affect your risk of becoming unwell.

 For example:

  • Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is evident from very early on when children start school as their behaviour can be compared to others of the same age.
  • Schizophrenia can develop in late teens to early twenties for men and early to late twenties in women, although the age range is roughly between 16-45 years.
Visit our Uthink site for more information aimed at young people affected by mental illness.

The individual at risk

Group of carers

There are of course exceptions to these trends. Mental illness, like physical illness depends on the individual.

Experiences during childhood such as trauma or abuse can increase the risk of mental illness by changing someone's behaviour and thinking patterns.

Life events, stress and the strength of our support networks, together with our age or gender, all combine in determining our mental health. That is why anyone can potentially develop  a mental health problem.

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