Every year, one in four of us will experience a mental health problem, but hundreds of thousands of people are still struggling alone.
Mind, the mental health charity, report that in England, 1 in 6 people report experiencing a common mental health problem (such as anxiety and depression) in any given week.
It appears that the way in which people cope with mental health problems are deteriorating, as the number of people who self-harm or have suicidal thoughts are increasing.
Every seven years a survey is carried out in England to measure the number of people who have different types of mental health problems. It was last published in 2016 and these figures were reported:
- Generalised anxiety disorder – 5.9 in 100 people
- Depression – 3.3 in 100 people
- Phobias – 2.4 in 100 people
- OCD – 1.3 in 100 people
- Panic disorder – 0.6 in 100 people
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) – 4.4 in 100 people
- Mixed anxiety and depression – 7.8 in 100 people
The survey also measures the number of people who have self-harmed, had suicidal thoughts or have made suicidal attempts over their lifetime:
- Suicidal thoughts – 20.6 in 100 people
- Suicide attempts – 6.7 in 100 people
- Self-harm – 7.3 in 100 people
- These are frightening statistics, particularly when you consider that these are confirmed cases, so how many people are struggling alone?
As my friends will know, I try to volunteer with Mind at least once a week. This is because Mind is excellent at helping people in a way that suits the individual, this includes:
Staying well: Support people likely to develop mental health problems, to stay well.
Empowering choice: Empower people who experience a mental health problem to make informed choices about how they live and recover.
Improving services and support: Ensure people get the right services and support at the right time to help their recovery and enable them to live with their mental health problem.
Enabling social participation: Open the doors to people with experience of mental health problems to participate fully in society.
Removing inequality of opportunity: Gain equality of treatment for people who experience both mental health and other forms of discrimination.
Organisational excellence: Make the most of our assets by building a culture of excellence.
We all live in this world together, sometimes the simple things like asking a friend if they are okay is enough to save a life; sounds dramatic but it’s true. In this connected world where we are able to speak to someone on the other side of the world for free at the press of a button, some of us have never felt so alone.
If you, a friend, a family member or colleague is struggling, then the web page below will be very useful. They also have resources to help managers and business owners support team members.
