This report was published in May 2019. Please be aware that more current information may exist and that its positions may no longer reflect those of RSPH.
Public mental health: Evidence, practice and commissioning
A report by Dr Jonathan Campion, Director for Public Mental Health and Consultant Psychiatrist, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust.
Almost a quarter of adults in England experience at least one mental disorder each year, most lifetime mental disorder arising before adulthood and a broad range of public health relevant impacts across health, education, employment, relationships, violence and crime.
Despite the existence of cost-effective public mental health interventions, only a minority of those with mental disorder in England receive any treatment, far fewer receive interventions to prevent associated impacts and even fewer receive intervention to prevent mental disorder or promote mental wellbeing.
The report highlights how this results in large scale human suffering and lost potential. It also represents a breach of the 2010 Equality Act and the right to health.
The report summarises the reasons for the implementation gap and sets out a number of actions necessary to improve coverage of evidence based interventions to reduce the population impact of mental disorder and promote population mental wellbeing.
Read the navigation guide to the report.