Mental Health
Lead Analyst: Sarah Blundell
Mental Health is a more widespread problem than people might think with 1 in 4 people having some form of mental illness in their lifetime. As a result Mental health was identified as one of the six national priorities for action in the White Paper Choosing Health and this has recently been reinforced in the Health Challenge England - Next steps for Choosing Health.
"At present about 2 million people visit GP surgeries each year with mental health problems. Of these 1% receive cognative behavioural therapy (CBT) and 3% receive 'Psychotherapy'. Another 4% receive 'Counselling' - GP's employ about 5,000 counsellors. Most but not all patients get drugs, and their biggest complaint is that psychological therapy is not more widely available."
Mental Health problems have complex causes and effects, involving social and economic circumstances as well as physical and mental health. Effective interventions therefore require the particpation of a wide range of health and social care agencies, and the support of both the patient's support network, including their employer.
Recently there has been a renewed focus on the role of employment and employer in contributing to the general mental health of the population. This is not surprising when the cost of mental illness is so high.
"Mental Health has the lowest proportion of employment of any disability group at 24%. Over 900,000 people with mental health problems claim sickness and disability benefit, a larger figure than the total number of people claiming JSA in Britain." Indicators of Public Health 7: Mental Health
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A cross-government programme of action has been launched to improve the mental well-being of people in England and drive up the quality of mental health care.
"New Horizons: A shared vision for mental healthâ is a comprehensive initiative that will be delivered by ten national government departments. It also brings together an alliance of local government, the voluntary sector and professionals, as well as local communities and individuals to work towards a society that values mental well-being as much as physical health.
Please contact Sarah Blundell to add resources, provide comment or to update any information on this page.
APHO resources
Resources & Websites that are APHO branded
The Mental Health Observatory This website sections on:
- Mental Health Observatory Briefings
- Community Mental Health Profiles
- Ethnicity
- Mental Health Needs Assessment
- MHO Publications
- Mental Health Observatory Workbook
- MINI and other MH Needs Indicators
ERPHO resources
Presentation: An Introdution to the 2009 Mental Health Profiles
 | Data and analysis |
 | Current Mental Health Profiles from the East of England |
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