Professor Dinesh Bhugra, President of the
Royal College of Psychiatrists, said:
"We warmly welcome the government’s new public
health white paper for acknowledging – at long last – that mental
health is central to public health. In particular, we welcome the
recognition of the need to intervene early to protect children’s
health and wellbeing. In the past, public health strategies have
concentrated on physical health, and overlooked the importance of
both mental illness and mental well-being.
"Last month, the Royal College of
Psychiatrists published No health without public mental
health, a compendium of evidence showing why mental health
must be at the heart of any public health agenda. Evidence shows
that mental ill-health is associated with a greater risk of
physical illness, while physical ill-health in turn increases the
risk of mental illness. Half of all mental illness begins by the
age of 14, people from the poorest households are at much greater
risk of mental-ill health, and mental illness is closely linked to
the major public health issues such as smoking, obesity and alcohol
abuse.
"We know that promoting mental health and
well-being in the population can bring significant health, social
and economic benefits across all sectors of society. The challenge
now is to ensure that the Coalition Government’s prioritisation of
public health translates into action to tackle mental health at a
national and local level. With responsibility for public health
delivery set to be transferred to local authorities, it is
important that directors of public health understand that mental
health is central to public health debates."
For further information, please contact Liz Fox or Deborah
Hart in the Communications Department.
Telephone: 020 7235 2351 Extensions. 6298 or 6127
References:
The Healthy lives, healthy peple White Paper was published on 30 November 2010: www.dh.gov.uk/healthypeople
Note to editors:
The White Paper sets out the Government’s long-term vision for the future of public health in England. The aim is to create a ‘wellness’ service (Public Health England) and to strengthen both national and local leadership