Data Resource Profile: Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey (APMS)

Data resource basicsThe Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey (APMS) monitors the prevalence of mental illness and access to treatment in the general population for England's National Statistics.The primary aims of the survey series are: • To estimate the prevalence of different mental disorders in England's general population.• To establish what proportion of people with a disorder are in receipt of treatment.• To produce temporal trends in prevalence and use of treatment.• To compare circumstances of people with and without a mental disorder.The series consists of four repeat cross-sectional surveys.The first two covered Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) and were conducted in 1993 1 and 2000 2 by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).The 2007 3 and 2014 4 surveys covered England only and were conducted by the National Centre for Social Research.The later surveys had no upper age limit (this was 64 years in 1993 and 74 years in 2000).A 2021 survey is planned.Each survey consisted of a first and second phase.The second phase was co-ordinated by the University of Leicester and carried out with a subgroup of phase-one participants.England's Department of Health and Social Care has been the main funder throughout the survey series, with the most recent surveys commissioned via NHS Digital.Each survey underwent the relevant ethical review, most recently with the West London National Research Ethics Committee 14/LO/0411.The general population surveys are part of a wider series of studies examining the mental health of specific populations.These have included people living in institutions, 5 the homeless population, 6 prison population, 7 carers 8 and minority ethnic groups. 9There has also been a series of mental health surveys of children and young people in England, 10,11 and these are described in a separate Data Resource Profile. 12