Queen's University Belfast

Academic Institute

Economic and Social Research Council

Yes

074

Mental ill-health in Northern Ireland is a growing concern and a leading cause of disability worldwide. But accurately identifying people with poor mental health is difficult, and is not helped by the stigma surrounding mental illness. In order to understand what causes poor mental health we must first identify those with poor mental health. Recent studies in Northern Ireland have been using antidepressant or anti-anxiety medication use as an indicator of mental ill health, but this has its limitations as not everyone with poor mental health receives medication and also these medicines can be prescribed for other physical ailments. The 2011 Census in Northern Ireland included a question asking people to simply identify if they had a psychological disorder (yes/no). We propose that this single question may be a more accurate indicator of poor mental health than prescribing alone, or using both may be a better indicator than just one. We will look at the outcome of death by suicide, previously shown to be associated with poor mental health, to determine if medication record or self-report mental health or a combination of both is the best measure of poor mental health.

Understanding the causes of poor mental health starts with identifying the population at risk. By identifying the most accurate indicator of poor mental health available we can utilize this to profile those at risk and further explore the factors associated with both poor and good mental health. In Northern Ireland there are approximately 300 deaths by suicide each year, and understanding the factors that may contribute to this may help inform policy around suicide prevention and improving mental health.

06/11/2017

TRE