Posted: Saturday 26 December 2009
As the first decade of the 21st century draws to a close, newspapers are full of reflections on the “noughties”. They think history will define the decade by the images of the twin towers in 2001, the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, or the technological revolution of Facebook, Twitter, and reality TV. Or maybe by the image of Barack Obama, or winning the Ashes (twice)?
But what about our mental health – has it improved or worsened? Has mental health policy given people a better chance? Are we in a better place than 1999?
It’s probably fair to say that the biggest mental health debate in this decade has been the balance between a policy of managing risk and dangerousness, epitomised by the Mental Health Act, and between a message of recovery and realising potential, expressed more recently by Time to Change and New Horizons.
Of course, the two are closely linked. For far too many people in the old 20th century, their experience was a lack of willingness to seek help, which often led to a crisis admission, sometimes into poorly funded services, which led to less positive outcomes, and a reinforcing of a sense of hopelessness. This decade has seen a step towards a new vision for mental health – encouraging people to seek help early, receiving more choice of community based treatments, including access to talking therapies, and to recover a life and lead it while managing a mental health condition in the same way as millions of people manage their physical health problems.
To effect this change, two conditions need to change – experience of mental health services and the public attitude.
Experiences of services have improved, although this remains patchy both between areas and even within services. Add in HCC data. There is limited evidence to suggest that our mental health has actually improved, although the growing recognition of the need for resilience training, and access to therapy, suggests that the tide is turning.
Public attitudes to mental health were a mixed bag over the noughties. They worsened as the decade went on, until 2006, at which point they have stabilised. However, nine out of ten people who have a mental health problem have experienced some form of stigma or discrimination in the last couple of years. I met a young woman who told me that despite having an Oxford degree, she couldn’t get a job because she had a gap on her CV. There are some signs of progress, but we can’t look back on the the past 10 years as a great decade for changing public attitudes.
And yet, we know from professionals we work with, from our local Mind associations, and from people with personal experience of mental distress, that a culture of hope can make a huge difference, and is achievable.
Maybe, history will show the noughties as a decade when the foundations were laid for a major change in the way society thinks about mental health-heading towards the “tipping point” that Alastair Campbell described when winning the Mind Award earlier this year.
For me, the highlight of my decade was bumping into Stuart after several years. When I first met him, he had ben in hospital and wasn’t well. Now, he’s training to climb Mount Everest and has starred in a Time to Change advertisement. With the help and support of friends, family and professionals, he’s doing great!
So a huge thank you to everyone who helps us at Mind across the country, and here’s to the next decade, a decade where change really can happen.
Paul Farmer, Mind Chief Executive
I can't speak for the public in general, in regards to their attitude towards mental health issues. However, unfortunately, mental illness is still something I believe you have to deal with on your own. I've had a bad depressive episode this year; the first severe one for ten years. I've found that my friends are still, on the whole, uncomfortable in discussing how I'm feeling. This only causes more sadness and despair. A few stalwarts were kind and helpful, but even they got fed up with me after four months. Depressed people are not always easy to be with; I am well aware of this. However, would a serious physical ailment, be treated with such a laissez-faire attitude? We all know the answer. Medications are improving all the time, but these are clearly not enough. A healthy, social-support network is vital for anyone's recovery. In this respect, society has a long way to go.
Not been a good decade for the world really, but lets hope the next decade is better.
Not a great year worldwide, but personally a battle won for me in that I admitted I couldn't cope alone and sought medical advice and assistance with my depression and anxiety. For the first time in years I feel like I have less to be stressed about, and I am running out of worries and fears. I hope many more had a positive year too, and that 2010 will prove to be the best yet, for support, medication and attitudes. Happy 2010!
I think the end of the noughties seems to signal a more postive approach towards mental health, perhaps more than at the beginning of the decade. Time to change, New Horizons and a focus on wellbeing and reducing stigma are all very worthwhile. I think the lesson we should take from the past ten years is that we need to be bold in our ambitions and be forceful in pushing for change- we can't wait for empty words that don't produce the results. Ensuring that people with mental health problems are not treated as second-class citizens, which unfortunatly is still too often the state of affairs, must be our top priority.
A belated response to your very thoughtful article. I'm optimistic about the mental health momentum at the end of the 'noughties'.We have become an ever so slightly more caring society .We are realising that undiluted capitalism and a 'me me' culture isn't working any more - not politically, not economically, not climatically - and that a more inclusive solciety respectful of diversity, whether based on race, sex, age or health is the onlyway forward. Mind deseves a lot of credit for this progress. It's certainly helped change my perspective. I think we can and will reach the tipping point in the 'teens'.
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