MENTAL HEALTH PROMOTION - Health Promotion Agency

Mental Health Promotion in Northern Ireland
Effective intervention for adults at risk
Specific interventions can help adults adjust to adverse life events such as job loss, divorce or bereavement.
High-quality programmes for the unemployed can reduce the psychological impact of job loss and
promote re-employment. But implementing these initiatives requires pro-active, cross-sector co-ordination.
Notice of large-scale redundancies should, for example, trigger action on the part of local health
authorities, social services, adult education and employment agencies.
A substantial body of literature has considered ways of safeguarding or improving the psychological
wellbeing of people caring for highly dependent children or adults. Respite care and some forms of
psychological support have been found to be effective in reducing the high levels of mental strain which
often go unrecognised in informal carers. Advocacy schemes may improve access to these services.
There has been a rapid growth in the employment of counsellors, particularly within primary care. There
is, however, little evidence that generic counselling alone produces sustained benefits, although cognitive
behaviour therapy is an important component of several of the effective interventions identified.
More consideration needs to be given to the scope and effectiveness of specific forms of counselling and
the skills of counsellors before the service is extended too widely.
The review related to high risk groups indicates that a wide range of health professionals and supervised
lay volunteers can play an important role in providing effective mental health promotion services, in
addition to those provided within mainstream mental health services.
Members of the Primary Health Care Team (for example, community and practice nurses) are well placed
to identify people who are at high-risk of developing mental health problems. Comprehensive directories
of local services and facilities would enable those providing services to direct vulnerable people to
additional sources of support and information, including self-help, user groups and services provided by
the voluntary sector.
The review stated that health services should consider using the findings of this review to inform their
commissioning in areas which contribute to mental wellbeing. To be effective and efficient,
interventions will require active coordination across disciplines (such as midwifery and health visiting)
and between a variety of agencies. A formal mechanism for establishing and monitoring cross-sectoral
collaboration is needed to ensure effective joint working between health, social, education, employment
and voluntary services.
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