3 February 2009
The Mental Health Foundation is celebrating 60 pioneering years this year, and has published a new vision for the future.
The research charity has been a consistent advocate for the improvement of treatments and services for people with mental health problems, and more recently has taken the lead in working to increase the public’s understanding of mental health.
Only 1 in 4 people experiencing mental ill-health receive treatment
The need for the charity to provide a strong, independent voice on mental health issues is critical. The latest statistics show that while 1 in 6 people in England suffers from a common mental health problem at any one time (1), only a quarter are getting any form of treatment (2).
Of those that are, only one in 10 is receiving a talking therapy treatment (3), despite the fact that clinical guidelines recommend that a range of psychological treatments be made available on the NHS.
The new figures reveal that the impact of mental distress is worsening among some groups. The rate of common mental disorders, typically depression and anxiety, has risen by a fifth among middle aged women since 1993 (4). And there has been an 80 per cent increase in self-harm among women aged between 16 and 24 since 2000 (5).
A third of GPs’ time is spent dealing with mental health issues (6), and mental ill-health costs the UK economy £100 billion a year (7), yet only £1 in every £15 spent on health research is devoted to mental health. (8)
New vision of good mental health for all
In order to tackle the problem, the charity argues that good mental health needs to seen as a priority for everyone, whether or not they have a mental health diagnosis.
Currently, only £4 million of the £4.5 billion of NHS adult mental health investment is spent on promoting good mental health – less than 0.1 per cent. (9) That everyone has mental health to look after, just like their physical health, is reflected in the Foundation’s new vision:
“Our vision is of a mentally healthy world where people are free from the suffering caused by mental illness”.
The Foundation’s Chief Executive, Dr Andrew McCulloch, said:
“The Mental Health Foundation was set up in the late forties because a few people at the time recognised that mental health was chronically undervalued and underfunded when compared to physical health. While much has changed since, we still have a long way to go - mental health needs to take its rightful place as a national priority.
“Looking forward, we need to get better at promoting good mental health, rather than trying to pick up the pieces when people experience difficulties. It is paramount that people know to look after their own mental health because it can have an enormous impact on a person’s ability to work and be in fulfilling, healthy relationships, as well as on their physical health and life expectancy.”
Exasperation with lack of funding
The neurochemist Dr Derek Richter was inspired to form the Mental Health Foundation (formerly the ‘Mental Health Research Fund’) in 1949, exasperated at his inability to acquire funding while
“colleagues working on cancer and TB are almost embarrassed by the money being thrust at them.”
At the time mental illness was seen as incurable, with tens of thousands of inpatients locked up in Victorian-era asylums.
Ends
Sources:
1 - 5. Adult Psychiatric Morbidity in England, 2007: Results of a household survey, The NHS Information Centre, 2009
6. Together, (formerly MACA), National GP Survey of Mental Health in Primary Care, London, 1999
7. Fundamental Facts, Mental Health Foundation, 2006
8. UK Health Research Analysis, UK Clinical Research Collaboration, 2006
9. The 2007/08 National Survey of Investment in Mental Health Services, mental Health Strategies, 2008
Notes to editors:
For more information please contact the Mental Health Foundation press office on 020 7803 1128/30 or email sloveland@mhf.org.uk
The Mental Health Foundation (www.mentalhealth.org.uk) uses research and practical projects to help people survive, recover from and prevent mental health problems. We work to influence policy, including government at the highest levels. And we use our knowledge to raise awareness and to help tackle the stigma attached to mental illness. We reach millions of people every year through our media work, information booklets and online services. Registered Charity No: (England & Wales) 801130: (Scotland) SC 039714.
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