Putting mental health at the heart of the public health agenda

As part of a strong commitment to public mental health, the College hosted five stakeholder seminars in 2009 covering public mental health across the lifespan. These were done jointly with other partners, including the Department of Health, the NHS Confederation and the Faculty of Public Health.

These seminars contributed to the creation of the College’s position statement, No Health without Public Mental Health: The Case for Action. The College also launched a shorter parliamentary briefing to accompany the position statement.

The project will now enter the next phase, looking at the role of psychiatrist and public mental health.

• Smoking: people with mental disorder smoke almost half of all tobacco consumed and account for almost half of all smoking-related deaths.
• Heart Disease: Depression doubles the risk of developing coronary heart disease

• Early intervention: Half of all mental illnesses begin by the age of 14 and three-quarters by mid-20s

• Long-term physical conditions: people with two or more long-term physical illnesses have a seven-fold greater risk of depression.

• Inequality: Children from the poorest households have a three-fold greater risk of mental ill health than children from the richest households

The College's position statement launched on the 26 Oct brings together the evidence to show that mental health must be at the core of the public health agenda.

The College’s position statement sets out the business case and makes clear recommendations for political action and policy change.

Read the College's press release here.