Lord Roberts of Llandudno – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno on 2015-12-08.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the NHS recognises alcoholism as a mental health issue.

Lord Prior of Brampton

Evidence shows that there is a link between alcohol misuse and mental ill health. We know that people who drink excessively are at higher risk of poor mental health and that some people with mental illness may lead riskier lifestyles and may have issues with alcohol and drug misuse.

National Health Service clinicians use the tenth edition of the World Health Organization’s International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) for mental and behavioural disorders. The ICD-10 includes ‘Mental and behavioural disorders due to use of alcohol.’

Diagnosis of a mental or behavioural disorder would be subject to an individual assessment, by an appropriate clinician.