Specific phobias were excluded from our prevalence rates, as were previous episodes of ill-health that had resolved by the time of the assessment, with the exception of schizophrenia/schizoaffective disorder, currently in remission, and bipolar affective disorder, currently euthymic, which we included in the reported rates. Our category of ‘mental ill-health of any type’ follows these same inclusion/exclusion rules. Table 2 provides details of the diagnoses within categories that were sought: no one within the cohort was found to be in episode with some of the disorders that were sought, e.g. DSM–IV–TR brief psychotic disorder and alcohol-induced psychotic disorder. Mild as well as severe problem behaviours are included in that category, accounting for the high prevalence rate in women.