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.

Some mental illnesses are linked to certain types of people who are most at risk, due to their age or gender for example.

Eating disorders for instance are more common in women than men, although bulimia in young men is now less rare than before. Personality Disorders (PD), on the other hand, are diagnosed in more men than women.

Mental health problems can develop at different stages of life so your age 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.

The individual at risk

These profiles are not rigid and there are exceptions. Risk of mental illness is in general individually determined, much like physical illness.

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 develp a mental health problem.