MC1 Who and how many lack mental capacity?

Mental capacity problems can affect many different sorts of people. So how many people might lack mental capacity for some decisions?

• People with dementia
  • In August 2017, there were an estimated 850,000 people with dementia in the UK (Alzheimer’s Research UK, 2017).
• People with learning disabilities
  • It has been estimated that just over a million people in England (2% of the population) have a learning disability. The numbers known to learning disability services are much smaller: an estimated quarter of a million people. (Figures taken from Public Health England, 2015.)
• People with alcohol and drug problems
  • More than 9 million people in England drink more than the recommended daily amount (Health and Social Care Information Centre, 2017). In 2014 there were 8,697 alcohol related deaths in the UK (Health and Social Care Information Centre, 2017). People in this group are more likely to have impaired mental capacity because of resulting mental health issues, the temporary lack of capacity when drunk and the effect that severe addiction/craving has on decision making.
• People who have suffered brain injury
  • Brain injury can occur at any age and from a number of causes.
• People with mental health needs
  • Mental ill-health affects people in the UK and globally. Problems range from anxiety and depression to hearing voices and psychoses.
  • One in 50 people suffer from bi-polar disorder, and one in 100 from psychotic disorder (NHS Digital, 2014).
  • People in these groups may all have reduced mental capacity. Two million people in England and Wales are estimated to lack capacity (SCIE, 2016).

But who else is affected as a result?