Unlocking the language of public mental health: About the PMHIC’s new A–Z Glossary
07 July, 2023
These monthly blog posts by the Public Mental Health Implementation Centre (PMHIC), 'Perspectives on public mental health', aim to highlight the voices of practitioners, patients, carers, and public health experts.
Welcome to this month's blog post, featuring Dr Peter Byrne (Joint Clinical and Strategic Director of the PMHIC; Consultant Liaison Psychiatrist at East London NHS Foundation Trust) who has developed an A–Z glossary of public mental health (PMH). The glossary was thoughtfully reviewed by experts by experience from PMHIC.
Join us as we delve into invaluable insights, expanding our understanding of this emerging area of knowledge.
This is a personal blog post in which all views and opinions are the authors’ own.
Hi, Peter. Can you give us an overview of the A–Z Glossary?
For many, PMH will be a new term and I wanted to explain why a working NHS psychiatrist (like me) might become interested in prevention of mental disorders, and the multiple harms arising from them.
Some recent PMH work puts the focus onto promotion of wellbeing – for me that is only a small part of PMH and more ‘awareness’ of mental health has not improved outcomes or the rising incidence of many disorders, let alone funding for treatment and prevention.
What inspired you to create the A–Z Glossary and how was the content developed?
The A–Z is a response to the questions, ‘What do you mean by public mental health?’, and the more direct, ‘What does PMH do that’s important (that might mean funding)?’.
I looked across the world for the best examples of PMH, implemented at scale where evidence of benefits (outcomes) was collected. This led to a list and I limited the word count on all 26 items so that a busy person could ‘get it’ and learn more if interested. This was further enhanced by incorporating feedback from our experts by experience at PMHIC. Their insights and expertise in reviewing the concepts and content of the glossary made it more relevant and exciting.
How does the A–Z Glossary relate to mental health?
My focus is across life course, highlighting inequalities due to income, ethnicity, gender, LGBTQ+ and more, and looking at all mental health conditions plus intellectual disability/neurodiversity (not mental disorders, but these occur more often in these groups).
It is likely that you or someone close to you has or has experienced a mental health condition, and/or that you work in health and social care. PMH gathers evidence for primary prevention of that disorder, then secondary prevention as early intervention.
Knowing about your local population health as well as the national picture, sometimes around the world too, is essential to understanding the why and how of mental disorders.
What are some main examples of areas covered by the A–Z?
For mental health professionals, on wards or in clinics and community, we can neglect drivers of poorer mental health, and some key public health advances have changed the way I approach the patients I see.
To name just four, thinking about housing first, supporting people to stop smoking and take on gentle exercise, and understanding the effects of each person’s obesogenic environment. This approach abandons the paternalistic idea that people make ‘lifestyle choices’ that damage their health.
Lastly, how can readers find out more, and access the A–Z Glossary?
There is a list of references at the end of the A–Z. Our website has lots of resources, including a comprehensive review of the strength of evidence for PMH preventative interventions.
Readers might also consult journals such as Lancet Public Health, Lancet Psychiatry, the Journal of Public Mental Health for more evidence. I have a particular interest in the social determinants of health and the subset driven (do a search) by the commercial determinants of health.
Click here to see the A–Z Glossary of Public Mental Health
Consultant Liaison Psychiatrist at the Royal London Hospital; Joint Clinical and Strategic Director of the PMHIC and visiting Professor at University of Strathclyde.