Director of Public Health Annual Report 2012 [pdf] - Stoke-on-Trent ...

Mental health
Mental health problems are very common, and the personal, social and financial costs can
be immense for those people and their families who are affected by mental
health problems. Mental ill health accounts for over one third <strong>of</strong> all illness in
Britain and 40% <strong>of</strong> all disability. One in six adults will experience anxiety and/or
depression during their lives and around 50%
<strong>of</strong> lifetime cases <strong>of</strong> mental illnesses begin by
the age <strong>of</strong> 14. Mental illness accounts for
over 20% <strong>of</strong> the total burden <strong>of</strong> disease in
the UK, more than cardiovascular disease or
cancer. Depression is linked with a 50%
increase in mortality (comparable to the
effects <strong>of</strong> smoking), and with increased rates
<strong>of</strong> coronary heart disease, cancer and
strokes. The NHS spends around 11% <strong>of</strong> its
annual budget on mental health services.
Poor mental health is both a cause and a
consequence <strong>of</strong> social, economic and
environmental inequalities and is consistently
linked with unemployment, lower levels <strong>of</strong>
education, low income, as well as poor
physical health and adverse life events.
English regions with the largest rises in
unemployment have had the largest
increases in suicides, particularly among
men 4 .
In 2010, an estimated 30,347 adults (aged
16 and over) in <strong>Stoke</strong>-on-Trent were
experiencing common mental health
problems. Anxiety and depression (16,993)
were the most common, followed by general
anxiety (8,205), depression (4,401), phobias
Dave’s Story: Living well
with a mental health condition
I had a nervous breakdown, after being
made redundant, and was admitted to St
Edward’s Hospital. My relationship broke
down and I wasn’t able to see my children
for many months. I was heavily medicated,
with constant suicidal thoughts and I was
labelled as Bi-polar. When a friend asked
me to go to a ‘Changes’ group with him, I
was sceptical. However, I found there were
others having very similar problems, when I
thought I was on my own. The compassion
and empathy from members made me feel
as if a heavy burden had been taken <strong>of</strong>f my
shoulders. I followed the Changes 12-step
programme, attending their mutual support
groups. I started to volunteer and took a
course to become a group Co-ordinator. I
realise that I have a severe, enduring
mental health problem and still take
medication but I don’t need multiple drugs
as I use “Wellness Tools”, building my inner
and outer resources. I am able to deal with
problems more effectively and I now work in
a paid position for Changes. I can hold my
head up high and look to the future.
(2,582), obsessive compulsive disorders (2,082) and panic attacks (2,003). It should be
noted that people can have more than one condition, hence 30,347 people with 36,266
conditions. Alongside common mental health problems, there are more severe problems, or
psychoses. These are mental illnesses that produce disturbances in people’s thinking and
perception severe enough to distort their perceptions <strong>of</strong> reality. The main types <strong>of</strong> psychoses
are schizophrenia and ‘affective psychosis’, such as bipolar disorder. Nationally the
prevalence <strong>of</strong> psychoses has been estimated to be around 0.4% <strong>of</strong> the adult population.
Changes hope to recruit ‘community messengers’. Individuals or
organisations can get involved by contacting Mike Romano at:
Changes <strong>Health</strong> and Wellbeing Centre, Victoria Court, <strong>Stoke</strong> ST4 4AL
01782 411433
mike@changes.org.uk
.
Case
Study
22 | P a g e