The COVID-19 pandemic and the control measures to reduce transmission have impacted on almost all aspects of our lives. This is having profound health, economic and social consequences, all of which will impact on our mental health and wellbeing now and into the future. Moreover, these impacts are experienced differently by different groups. There is a risk that the pandemic may increase and entrench mental health inequalities that existed and were widening before the pandemic. It is crucial that we increase our knowledge of the broad impacts of the pandemic on mental health and wellbeing and the population groups that are more greatly affected. This will enable the mental health needs of our population and the hardest hit groups to be recognised and monitored so that appropriate support can be provided to mitigate the impact.
We developed a Mental Health Needs Assessment following on from a workshop led by the Health and Wellbeing Board. The aim of this needs assessment was to bring together what is known nationally and locally about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health and wellbeing needs in adults and to make recommendations to the local system to improve the mental health of our population.
Good mental health is more than just the absence of mental disorders but is an essential component of good health. Mental health is a state of wellbeing in which an individual realises their own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and is able to make a contribution to their community. Wellbeing can be described as the balance point between an individual’s and community’s resource pool and challenges faced. Stable wellbeing is when individuals or communities have the psychological, social and physical resources they need to meet particular psychological, social and/or physical challenges. Good mental health and wellbeing is strongly influenced by the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work and age. Promoting mental wellbeing and supporting mental ill health is essential not only for individuals and their families, but to society as a whole. In the UK:
- One in four people will experience mental illness in their lifetime.
- One in six people experience mental illness at any one time.
- 75% of mental health conditions in adult life (excluding dementia) start by the age of 24.
- Mental ill health is estimated to cost the UK economy £105 billion a year in health care and loss of productivity costs.
Within the population there are also significant avoidable inequalities in mental health problems that exist between groups based on personal characteristics, stage of life and conditions of living.