The number of adult Dutch people with a mental illness has risen sharply, according to the Trimbos Institute based on the long-term national study NEMESIS.
More than a quarter had suffered a mental disorder in the past year. That’s 3.3 million people. Twelve years ago it was less than one in five adults.
The strong increase is mainly visible among young adults and students. “Increasing social concerns or pressure to perform could play a role here,” says program head of epidemiology Annemarie Luik. “We also see a stronger increase in mental disorders among people who live in a city, although it is unclear what cause or effect is.”
The corona pandemic does not seem to have affected the increase, according to the institute. The increase started even before the corona crisis broke out. “In a previous study by VUmc on the effects of Covid-19 on people’s mental health, we could see that the pandemic caused a temporary increase in feelings of gloom or anxiety, but has no influence on the clinical diagnoses of mental illnesses.” , says Margreet ten Have, project leader NEMESIS.
Alcohol
In the past year, 15 percent of the Dutch population had an anxiety disorder, 10 percent a depressive disorder and 7 percent an alcohol or drug use disorder. A substance use disorder is about the consequences that people experience because they use drugs or alcohol, for example falling short at work, during studies or at home. More than 3 percent had ADHD.
Of the people who had a mental disorder in the past year, 42 percent had two or more. Young adults (under the age of 35), singles, the unemployed and the disabled, people with a lower income and people living in a city are particularly affected by this more often, according to the Trimbos Institute.
Almost half of the Dutch population (48 percent) has ever had a mental illness. According to the Trimbos Institute, these people not only had psychological complaints, but also met the criteria for a diagnosis.
NEMESIS is a large-scale, long-term study by the Trimbos Institute into the psychological well-being, health and life experiences of Dutch adults, commissioned by the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport.