Two thirds of people getting counselling for anxiety and depression on NHS are women, analysis has revealed for the first time.
Mental health charities said the figures reflected the fact women were far more likely than men to seek help if they felt unable to cope.
The figures from NHS clinics across England show that in 2012/13, more than 750,000 people were referred for counselling for anxiety or depression - and 62 per cent of cases were women.
Younger people were far more likely than older generations to seek help, the figures form the Health and Social Care Information Centre show.
Those aged 20 to 49 made up 71 per cent of referrals, with those in their 20s making up the largest number undergoing counselling for the conditions.
Almost 200,000 people in their 20s were referred for help - compared with 48,000 people in their 60s and less than 17,000 in their 70s.
The figures, from the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) are included in the first annual report on the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) programme.
Just fewer than 762,000 people were referred for anxiety or depression treatment in England throughout the year.
In total, 63 per cent began counselling within a month, though almost one in ten had to wait at least three months.
Among those who finished treatment - meaning that they had at least two sessions - 57 per cent reported as the patient showing improvement, the report found.
Experts said they did not believe women were more likely to suffer the mental health conditions, but said they were far more likely to see their GP about them, and ask for advice.
Beth Murphy, Head of Information at mental health charity Mind, said: “While there is no gender difference in the prevalence of mental health problems, women are much more likely to seek help than men, and are more willing to talk about their own mental well-being. All the signs suggest that more and more people are seeking help for mental health problems.”
Experts said that the number of people seeking counselling and the rise in those taking medication partly reflected reduced stigma about mental health problems - but also the fact that many people were struggling economically.
Charities said more needed to be done to speed up waiting times for counselling, to prevent illness becoming more serious, resulting in lost jobs, family breakdowns and suicide.
Latest figures show more than 50 million prescriptions a year for antidepressants in Britain - a doubling in the last decade which has left the UK with the fourth-highest rates in Europe.
The UK has the seventh-highest prescribing rate for drugs such as Prozac in the Western world, with 71 daily doses a day for every 1,000 inhabitants in 2011.
This is almost double the 38 doses a day prescribed a decade earlier, according to the study by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, which represents the world’s industrialised nations.
Emily Wooster, Policy Manager at The Mental Health Foundation said: “Women are more likely to seek help, particularly psychological support and ‘talking treatments’ as a way of treating their mental health. Research shows that men are less reluctant to seek help in the first place, and may develop other ‘coping mechanisms.’”
The charity said more needed to be done to improve access to counselling for older people, and for children and young people.
The figures show 36,000 referrals for NHS counselling among those aged 15 to 19, 194,000 referrals among those in their 20s, 179,000 among those in their 30s, 168,000 among those in their 40s and 111,000 among patients in their 50s.
Among those in their 60s there were 48,000 referrals, and among those in their 70s, less than 17,000 referrals were made.
HSCIC chairman Kingsley Manning said: “Today’s report has been much anticipated, given it provides the first annual snapshot of access to psychological therapies in England for people with anxiety and depression.”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/10574941/Women-far-more-likely-than-men-to-seek-counselling-for-anxiety.html