Posted: Friday 1 January 2010
The noughties ended with a flurry of stories which had mental health at its heart - the tragic execution of Akmhal Shaikh, the decision of an MP to resign in part due to her depression, and the launch of the credit stressline all suggest that mental health is still a subject of much debate.
So what about the new decade? The World Health Organisation predicts that by 2020, depression will be the second biggest cause of ill health worldwide. But for millions of people in this country, mental health is an issue now. Stigma and discrimination remains prevalent, and many find services patchy and confusing.
However, the last couple of years of the noughties have produced some encouraging signs - public attitudes are slowly beginning to change, investment in services is growing, and there's a better understanding of how to support people.
So here's the biggest chance for our society to transform the way we think about mental health. Rather than people shying away from seeking help, leading to deteriorating mental health, leading to a need for crisis care, it is possible for better public awareness to lead to people seeking help earlier, and services helping people recover full lives.
This is not unrealistic, but we do need to work hard together to make this vision come true. Over the last ten years, I've seen some significant changes for the better, but I also still hear from too many people who have had terrible experiences. We are now seeing a stronger movement, led by people with direct experience of mental distress, and that will need to grow further.
By working together, we can make this a decade for mental health.
Paul Farmer, Mind Chief Executive
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