In an economic slump it is essential that funding for mental health services is protected and bolstered, not cut, argues Billy Dove.
It is now accepted that one in four of us will experience a mental health problem in the course of any given year. This compares to estimates from Cancer Research UK that one in three people will develop some form of cancer during their lifetime, and one in six people worldwide that will suffer a stroke during their life. Notable efforts have been made to reduce the stigma around those who suffer from a mental health condition, yet this has not been recognised in available funding and resources. Mental health services continue to lack appropriate levels of funding, and as the recession deepens, it is once again these services that are the first point of call for local authority cuts.
Substantially more people will suffer from a mental health condition than will suffer a heart attack or stroke, yet twice as much research goes into heart disease and stroke than mental health. Cancer accounts for more than 25 per cent of medical research funding – five times as much as mental health. These conditions of course debilitate and change lives forever. But mental health can no longer be seen as their poor relation.
Incidence of mental health conditions have been on an upwards trajectory for a long time: the proportion of the English population meeting the criteria for one common mental disorder increased from 15.5 per cent in 1993 to 17.6 per cent in 2007, and this was before the onset of the worst economic circumstances most of us have ever experienced – even those of us who have been around for some time.
I have spent many years working with the City of London and local authorities and I remember too well the impact and legacy of the economic crises of the late 1970s and 1980s on the mental health and psychology of vulnerable communities in London. While I was chairman of the City of London’s Community & Children’s Services Committee, I came across countless instances where mental health problems had prevented people from holding down long-term employment and consequently accommodation. We established a number of schemes to support these people, including an award-winning boutique hotel for long-term entrenched rough sleepers in Camden, and a personalisation project for rough sleepers that was recognised as best practice by the government.
We have not seen the end of this economic crisis, yet already the impact upon mental health is stark. Official statistics show a significant increase in suicides for those aged over 15 between 2007 and 2008, while a report released only last week by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development demonstrated that stress is the main cause of long-term sickness in British industry, driven by economic uncertainty. This situation will only worsen: a record number of people were declared insolvent during 2010, a significant increase on the 2009 figure, which was in itself a record high. There are already escalating pressures on frontline organisations to provide support to people experiencing mental health problems. Many professionals in the sector are deeply concerned about the impact of local authority cuts on their ability to provide services that are in ever-increasing demand.
At the City of London’s City Bridge Trust we have been supporting projects that work to improve the mental health of London’s diverse communities for over 15 years. In that time we have provided funding in the region of £13.5m to both reduce the stigma around mental health and support those struggling to deal with mental health conditions. Our most recent grants demonstrate the diverse range of people affected by some form of mental health condition, from supporting young people affected by facial disfigurement, to women refugees living with HIV seeking to overcome sexual trauma, and helping offenders with mental health problems to develop literacy skills.
Our expertise and resources have never been more in demand. We must accept that money is tight, and savings have to be made. But these savings must be made in a way that minimises the impact upon the health of future generations, physical and mental.
This means local authorities thinking innovatively to find ways to protect mental health services, and in fact increasing the resources available to tackle an impending epidemic in the mental health of our population. Mental health funding, particularly at a time when people are losing their jobs and experiencing higher levels of stress than ever before, is not a luxury. It is essential to a well-functioning, prosperous and progressive society.
Billy Dove MBE JP is chairman of City Bridge Trust
