Last week, the mental health charity Mind launched its Big Mental Health Report. A piece of work designed to provide a comprehensive and up-to-date annual picture of mental health across England and Wales.
You can read the full report and recommendations here: https://www.mind.org.uk/about-us/our-policy-work/the-big-mental-health-report/
It’s no secret that the number of people struggling with their mental health is rising fast and last year’s inaugural report backed that up. It painted a picture of a decade-long decline in mental health and growing pressure on services. This year’s report shows that those trends are continuing.
The report draws on the experiences of over 18,000 people with lived experience of mental health problems. Some of the key findings include:
- 1 in 3 surveyed (33%) felt their mental health problems weren’t serious enough to seek support from their GP – young people (50%) were more likely to feel this way than adults (28%). Just under 1 in 3 (29%) felt their problem wasn’t serious enough to seek support from the voluntary/third sector.
- Over 1 in 3 (34%) reported having been treated unfairly when receiving support from their GP, and 1 in 5 (19%) when receiving voluntary/third sector support.
- Understanding of mental health is slipping and attitudes are becoming less accepting, with conditions like schizophrenia continuing to be misunderstood.
The report sets out recommendations across four areas to help create a mentally healthier society:
- Improve timely access to quality mental health support
- Support young people with their mental health
- Tackle mental health stigma and discrimination
- Deal with the social factors affecting mental health
Mind stresses that this report is more than a collection of data – it’s a rallying call to us all to play our part in ensuring mental health does not become a casualty of cynicism or culture wars. Mind also points out that while we’ve seen welcome policy developments in England and Wales, progress is too slow.
They believe that the recommendations set out in this report – which are as relevant to employers as they are to individuals – will help us create a mentally healthy society that leaves no mind behind.
They hope that this report arms you with the insight and evidence to demand better – and to act.
You can read the full report and recommendations here: https://www.mind.org.uk/about-us/our-policy-work/the-big-mental-health-report/
