Public mental health: evidence, practice and commissioning

Author(s)

CAMPION Jonathan

Publisher(s):

Royal Society for Public Health

Publication year:

2019

Based on a review of recent literature, this report summarises evidence around public mental health practice. Public mental health practice takes a population approach to mental health which includes three levels of mental disorder prevention and mental wellbeing promotion. The review covers: the impact of mental health problems and of mental wellbeing; risk factors for mental disorder and protective factors for mental wellbeing; groups at higher risk of poor mental health; effective interventions to treat mental disorder and to prevent associated impacts, preventing mental disorder from arising and promoting mental wellbeing; and economic savings of different public mental health interventions. It finds that despite the existence of cost-effective public mental health interventions, only a minority of people with a mental condition in England receive any treatment, receive interventions to prevent associated impacts or receive intervention to prevent mental conditions or promote mental wellbeing. It sets out a number of actions to improve coverage of evidence based interventions to reduce the population impact of mental disorder and promote population mental wellbeing. The report has been endorsed by the Association of Directors of Public Health, Faculty of Public Health, Health Education England, Local Government Association, Royal College of General Practitioners, Royal College of Psychiatrists and RSPH (Royal Society of Public Health). (Edited publisher abstract)