A leading mental health charity has called on the UK Prime Minister to prioritise a prevention-first approach when it comes to the nation’s mental health.
The Mental Health Foundation has joined with 15 other mental health charities and organisations to send a clear message to Prime Minister Andy Burnham that the national conversation needs to shift from managing mental ill health to preventing it in the first place.
The coalition of mental health charities stood outside the Houses of Parliament with a six-foot tall bottle of SPF sunblock bearing the message “SPF: Support Prevention First.”
The giant prop bottle of mental health sunscreen is designed to prompt decision-makers and members of the public to address the question: “We protect our skin before damage appears. Why not our mental health?”
Government policy must focus on preventing poor mental health
It’s a question the charities, including Mind, Mental Health UK, Rethink Mental Illness and Place2Be, want Andy Burnham to take very seriously during his first 100 days as Prime Minister, calling on him to demonstrate leadership by prioritising the prevention of poor mental health. This includes introducing policies and programmes to stop people from experiencing a diagnosable mental health condition before it occurs.
They say that, currently, the NHS and government policy focuses too heavily on treating mental health conditions once they have already developed. This is despite the fact, they point out, that many mental health conditions are completely preventable with the right support in place.
Naqi Azizi is a Mental Health Foundation supporter, a trained Mental Health First Aider and a Young Leader who attended the campaign launch on Wednesday 2nd September. He says the government’s reactive, treatment-focused approach to the mental health crisis “isn’t working any more.”
He explained:
“Prevention should therefore be prioritised alongside navigation of poor mental health. This will give young people effective tools and signposting resources to support themselves but also empower those around them, otherwise they’ll be left feeling even more lost.”
A ‘pivotal moment’ for mental health in the UK
The Mental Health Foundation says that mental ill health prevention can take many forms, with examples including:
- Anti-bullying programmes in schools
- Regulation to reduce exposure to harmful online content
- Workplace support to help people during stressful or difficult times, such as long-term sickness
- Community support
These measures also make economic sense; the charities point out that poor mental health costs the UK at least £117.9 billion a year – enough money to buy over 19 billion bottles of actual sunblock.
In addition to turning up at the Houses of Parliament with their giant mental health SPF bottle, the coalition of charities, also including the Samaritans and the Centre for Mental Health, sent Andy Burnham a postcard displaying an image of the bottle and reiterating their prevention-first message.
The Director of Policy and Influencing at the Mental Health Foundation, Alexa Knight, said this was a “pivotal moment” for the UK:
“Now, more than ever, we need our message to be loud and clear: Prevention works. Poor mental health isn’t inevitable with the right prevention support in place. The best way to tackle it is to stop mental health problems before they begin.
“To avoid being left red-faced by growing levels of poor mental health, Andy Burnham needs SPF – to Support Prevention First.
“The UK is standing at a pivotal moment. Mental health problems have risen steeply across the UK over the last decade. The most significant increases have been for children and young people. Meanwhile, the national response remains overstretched and is struggling to address rising distress. Now is the time for the government to shift from crisis management to prevention.
“We know that the public want to see poor mental health reduced, and less people suffering. We need our new Prime Minister to lead the shift from treatment to prevention. Getting the UK government to Support Prevention First is the only way we will achieve this.”
Training to support mental health and wellbeing
Mental health learning and development solutions can play a significant role in helping people to recognise risk factors and proactively support positive mental wellbeing and prevent mental ill health across the UK.
First Response Training (FRT) is a leading national training provider delivering courses in subjects such as health and safety, first aid, fire safety, manual handling, food safety, mental health, health and social care and more.
FRT’s specialist mental health training courses include Understanding Mental Health, Mental Health Awareness in the Workplace, Managing Stress, Anxiety and Phobias Awareness, Self-Harm Awareness and Suicide Awareness.
They can also provide qualified, approved trainers to deliver accredited Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training courses, including the Adult, Youth and Lite versions.
A trainer from FRT says:
“It’s so important that we continue to talk about mental health and that we check in on the people close to us. Supporting each other – particularly in challenging times, whether this relates to the global situation, workplace pressures or more personal issues – is key to protecting mental health and emotional wellbeing.
“We can also be proactive and self-aware in managing our own mental health. It’s important for us to be aware of things that impact our mental and emotional wellbeing, to be able to talk about these issues and how we’re feeling, and to take practical steps to manage these impacts.
“Training in key ways to support and promote positive mental health can empower individuals to support and promote their own mental health and build their emotional resilience, preventing people from reaching crisis point. This can, in turn, ensure we are better placed to help others.”
Resources to support good mental health
A brief summary of our mental health training can now be downloaded as an infographic.
We also have a number of other free infographics available to download which provide simple tips for helping to manage your mental wellbeing. These include:
- Manage Your Stress
- Support Your Mental Health
- Connect With Nature
- Anxiety Factsheet
- Manage Your Anxiety
- Managing Panic Attacks
You can also download our free Guide to Mental Health Training from our website.
For more information on the training that FRT can provide, please call them today on freephone 0800 310 2300 or send an e-mail to info@firstresponsetraining.com.