Code list library

Code lists for

• Depression
• Anxiety
• Self harm
• Eating disorders
• Alcohol misuse
• Substance misuse
• Severe mental illness

The Networked Data Lab

The Networked Data Lab is a Health Foundation research programme bringing together five different partners across the UK - including Public Health Wales, NHS Grampian and CCGs in North West London, Leeds, Liverpool and Wirral. In 2021, we started working on children and young people's mental health using linked health and social care datasets. During this time, we identified the need for common code lists to enable the comparability of results.

Our analysts used code lists to identify users of mental health services in their data, in some cases stratified by condition or type of contact. We performed an initial search of publicly-available code lists, to help our partners identify those that were relevant to their research questions.

How this library should be used

The code list library shown here is the result of our initial search. We considered the following mental health conditions or disorders:

• Depression
• Anxiety
• Self harm
• Eating disorders
• Alcohol/substance misuse
• Severe mental illness, which includes schizophrenia spectrum, bipolar affective disorders and psychosis

We are providing this library as a resource to other researchers, but cannot guarantee the validity of all code lists - users will need to make a judgement on whether these are appropriate to their research questions. This library is aimed at an audience already familiar with the use of code lists in health care data. The code lists themselves are hosted on the provider's page, which are linked here.

Our approach

We considered the following types of codes:

• READ/SNOMED-CT codes for primary care data
• ICD-10 codes for secondary care data
• BNF codes for medicines (British National Formulary)

Our main resources were:

• CALIBER's chronological map of human health (Health Data Research UK - see associated Lancet publication)
• CALIBER's Phenotype Library (Health Data Research UK)
• OpenCodelists
• ClinicalCodes
• ATHENA
• CPRD @ Cambridge group
• Anna Head's mapping of READ codes from CALIBER to SNOMED-CT (University of Liverpool)
• LHSTM DataCompass
• Centre for Disease Control and Prevention

We also referred to code lists directly uploaded with scientific publications.

Depression

Condition or medicine	Setting	Type	Source	Link
Depression	Secondary	ICD-10 codes	CALIBER (HDR UK)	📎 link
Depression	Primary	READ codes	CALIBER (HDR UK)	📎 link
Depression	Primary	READ codes	CPRD @ Cambridge	📎 link
Depression	Primary	READ codes	CALIBER (HDR UK), adapted to SNOMED by Anna Head (PhD, University of Liverpool)	📎 link
Talking therapies	Primary	READ codes	LSHTM Data Compass	📎 link
Depression	Primary	SNOMED codes	CALIBER (HDR UK), adapted to SNOMED by Anna Head (PhD, University of Liverpool)	📎 link
Antidepressants (all types)	Medicines	BNF codes	OpenPrescribing	📎 link
Antidepressants (SSRIs)	Medicines	BNF codes	OpenSAFELY via OpenCodelists	📎 link
Antidepressants (all types)	Medicines	READ codes	ClinicalCodes (University of Manchester Institute of Population Health)	📎 link
Antidepressants (all types)	Medicines	READ codes	LSHTM Data Compass	📎 link
Antidepressants (all types)	Medicines	READ codes	CPRD @ Cambridge	📎 link
Antidepressants (all types)	Medicines	SNOMED codes	Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)	📎 link
Antidepressants (SSRIs)	Medicines	SNOMED codes	Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)	📎 link
Antidepressants (SSRIs)	Medicines	SNOMED codes	OpenCodelists	📎 link

Anxiety

Condition or medicine	Setting	Type	Source	Link
Anxiety	Secondary	ICD-10 codes	CALIBER (HDR UK)	📎 link
Anxiety	Primary	READ codes	University of Bristol	📎 link
Anxiety	Primary	READ codes	CALIBER (HDR UK)	📎 link
Anxiety	Primary	READ codes	CALIBER (HDR UK), adapted to SNOMED by Anna Head (PhD, University of Liverpool)	📎 link
Anxiety (and other neurotic, stress related & somatoform disorders)	Primary	READ codes	CPRD @ Cambridge	📎 link
Anxiety	Primary	SNOMED codes	CALIBER (HDR UK), adapted to SNOMED by Anna Head (PhD, University of Liverpool)	📎 link
Hypnotics and anxiolytics	Medicines	BNF codes	OpenPrescribing	📎 link
Drugs with anxiety as possible indication	Medicines	READ codes	CPRD @ Cambridge	📎 link
Drugs with anxiety as possible indication	Medicines	READ codes	LSHTM Data Compass	📎 link
Drugs with anxiety or depression as possible indication	Medicines	READ codes	LSHTM Data Compass	📎 link
Hypnotics and anxiolytics	Medicines	READ codes	University of Bristol	📎 link
Anxiolytic, sedative, hypnotic or tranquilizer	Medicines	SNOMED codes	Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)	📎 link

Self harm

Condition or medicine	Setting	Type	Source	Link
Self harm	Secondary	ICD-10	CDC	📎 link
Self harm, suicidal ideation and suicidal attempt	Secondary	ICD-10	US Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project)	📎 link
Self harm	Primary	READ codes	CALIBER	📎 link
Self harm	Primary	READ codes	LSHTM Data Compass	📎 link
Self harm	Primary	SNOMED codes	National Center for Biomedical Ontology	📎 link
Self harm and suicidal behaviour	Primary	SNOMED codes	NHS County Durham and Darlington	📎 link
Suicidal behaviour	Primary	SNOMED codes	National Center for Biomedical Ontology	📎 link
Suicidal ideation	Primary	SNOMED codes	MedGEN (NCBI)	📎 link

Eating disorders

Condition or medicine	Setting	Type	Source	Link
Eating disorders (anorexia and bulimia)	Secondary	ICD-10 codes	CALIBER (HDR UK)	📎 link
Anorexia	Primary	READ codes	LSHTM Data Compass	📎 link
Eating disorders (anorexia and bulimia)	Primary	READ codes	CPRD @ Cambridge	📎 link
Eating disorders (anorexia and bulimia)	Primary	READ codes	CALIBER (HDR UK)	📎 link
Eating disorders (anorexia, bulimia and referral to specialist service)	Primary	READ codes	ClinicalCodes (University of Manchester Institue of Population Health)	📎 link
Eating disorders (anorexia, bulimia and referral to specialist service)	Primary	READ codes	ClinicalCodes (University of Manchester Institue of Population Health)	📎 link
Eating disorders (anorexia, bulimia and referral to specialist service)	Primary	READ codes	CALIBER (HDR UK), adapted to SNOMED by Anna Head (PhD, University of Liverpool)	📎 link
Eating disorders (anorexia, bulimia and referral to specialist service)	Primary	SNOMED codes	CALIBER (HDR UK), adapted to SNOMED by Anna Head (PhD, University of Liverpool)	📎 link

Alcohol misuse

Condition or medicine	Setting	Type	Source	Link
Alcohol Status	Secondary	ICD-10 codes	CDC	📎 link
Alcohol Problems	Secondary	ICD-10 codes	CALIBER	📎 link
Alcohol misuse	Primary	READ codes	CALIBER (HDR UK), adapted to SNOMED by Anna Head (PhD, University of Liverpool)	📎 link
Alcohol Problems	Primary	READ codes	CALIBER	📎 link
Alcohol Status	Primary	READ codes	CALIBER	📎 link
Alcohol Status	Primary	READ codes	ClinicalCodes	📎 link
Alcohol Status	Primary	READ codes	CALIBER	📎 link
Harmful alcohol use	Primary	READ codes	LSHTM Data Compass	📎 link
Alcohol misuse	Primary	SNOMED codes	CALIBER (HDR UK), adapted to SNOMED by Anna Head (PhD, University of Liverpool)	📎 link
Drugs to treat alcoholism	Medicines	BNF codes	LSHTM Data Compass	📎 link
Drugs used for alcohol dependence	Medicines	BNF codes	OpenPrescribing	📎 link

Substance misuse

Condition or medicine	Setting	Type	Source	Link
Substance misuse	Secondary	ICD-10 codes	Swansea University	📎 link
Other psychoactive substance misuse	Secondary	ICD-10 codes	CALIBER	📎 link
Illicit substance/nonprescribed drug use, Under the care of substance misuse services	Primary	READ codes	NHS England	📎 link
Other psychoactive substance misuse	Primary	READ codes	CALIBER	📎 link
Psychoactive substance misuse	Primary	READ codes	CPRD @ Cambridge	📎 link
Substance misuse	Primary	READ codes	ClinicalCodes (University of Manchester Institue of Population Health)	📎 link
Substance misuse	Primary	READ codes	LSHTM Data Compass	📎 link
Substance misuse	Primary	READ codes	CALIBER (HDR UK), adapted to SNOMED by Anna Head (PhD, University of Liverpool)	📎 link
Substance misuse	Primary	READ codes	Swansea University	📎 link
Illicit substance/nonprescribed drug use, Under the care of substance misuse services	Primary	SNOMED codes	NHS England	📎 link
Substance misuse	Primary	SNOMED codes	CALIBER (HDR UK), adapted to SNOMED by Anna Head (PhD, University of Liverpool)	📎 link
Drugs used for opioid dependence	Medicines	BNF codes	OpenPrescribing	📎 link

Severe mental illness

Condition or medicine	Setting	Type	Source	Link
Bipolar affective disorder and mania	Secondary	ICD-10 codes	CALIBER	📎 link
Obsessive-compulsive disorder	Secondary	ICD-10 codes	CALIBER	📎 link
Personality disorders	Secondary	ICD-10 codes	CALIBER	📎 link
Schizophrenia, schizotypal and delusional disorders	Secondary	ICD-10 codes	CALIBER	📎 link
Severe Mental Illness	Secondary	ICD-10 codes	QCOVID COVID-19 Population Risk Assessment	📎 link
Severe Mental Illness (Schizophrenia, Persistent delusional disorder, Schizoaffective disorder, Bipolar disorder)	Secondary	ICD-10 codes	Norwegian Institute of Public Health	📎 link
Bipolar affective disorder and mania	Primary	READ codes	CALIBER	📎 link
Bipolar affective disorder and mania	Primary	READ codes	CALIBER (HDR UK), adapted to SNOMED by Anna Head (PhD, University of Liverpool)	📎 link
Bipolar disorder	Primary	READ codes	ClinicalCodes (University of Manchester Institue of Population Health)	📎 link
Obsessive-compulsive disorder	Primary	READ codes	CALIBER	📎 link
Personality disorders	Primary	READ codes	CALIBER	📎 link
Personality disorders	Primary	READ codes	CALIBER (HDR UK), adapted to SNOMED by Anna Head (PhD, University of Liverpool)	📎 link
Schizophrenia	Primary	READ codes	CALIBER (HDR UK), adapted to SNOMED by Anna Head (PhD, University of Liverpool)	📎 link
Schizophrenia (and related non-organic psychosis) or bipolar disorder	Primary	READ codes	CPRD @ Cambridge	📎 link
Schizophrenia, schizotypal and delusional disorders	Primary	READ codes	CALIBER	📎 link
Severe Mental Illness	Primary	READ codes	LSHTM Data Compass	📎 link
Severe Mental Illness	Primary	READ codes	University of Manchester, University of York, University of Lancaster	📎 link
Bipolar affective disorder and mania	Primary	SNOMED codes	CALIBER (HDR UK), adapted to SNOMED by Anna Head (PhD, University of Liverpool)	📎 link
Personality disorders	Primary	SNOMED codes	CALIBER (HDR UK), adapted to SNOMED by Anna Head (PhD, University of Liverpool)	📎 link
Schizophrenia	Primary	SNOMED codes	CALIBER (HDR UK), adapted to SNOMED by Anna Head (PhD, University of Liverpool)	📎 link
Severe Mental Illness	Primary	SNOMED codes	OpenCodelists (PRIMIS Covid Vaccination Uptake Reporting)	📎 link
Severe Mental Illness	Primary	SNOMED codes	QCOVID COVID-19 Population Risk Assessment	📎 link
Antipsychotic depot injections	Medicines	BNF codes	OpenPrescribing	📎 link
Antipsychotic drugs	Medicines	BNF codes	OpenPrescribing	📎 link
Drugs used for mania and hypomania	Medicines	BNF codes	OpenPrescribing	📎 link
Mania and hypomania	Medicines	BNF codes	OpenPrescribing	📎 link
Antipsychotic drugs	Medicines	READ codes	ClinicalCodes (University of Manchester Institue of Population Health)	📎 link
Bipolar disorder	Medicines	READ codes	ClinicalCodes (University of Manchester Institue of Population Health)	📎 link
Schizophrenia (and related non-organic psychosis) or bipolar disorder	Medicines	READ codes	CPRD @ Cambridge	📎 link

Authors

• Sebastien Peytrignet, Senior Data Analyst at the Health Foundation (GitHub) (Twitter)
• Jorgen Engmann, Senior Data Manager at the Health Foundation (Twitter)