Just as public health experts develop strategies to tackle binge drinking, smoking and obesity, do we need to develop a more comprehensive approach to preventing mental ill health? With youth depression, alone, having doubled in the last 20 years, maybe it’s time to look again at ways to prevent mental health problems from taking their toll at different stages in our lives. It’s complicated, but here are just some thoughts on what might help.
Infancy
Post-natal depression is, unfortunately, relatively common, affecting up to 15% of mothers after childbirth, and infants and children affected as a result of their mothers’ ill health can go on to suffer long-term emotional complications themselves, as currently being looked at by the APPG on Conception to Age 2, the First 1001 Days. Work needs to continue to limit the harmful effects of PND on young children.
The school years
It is well-known that bullying and discrimination at school can trigger serious mental health problems such as depression and anorexia. I have seen too many real-life examples of this to know that this is not just hearsay. We must have a zero-tolerance approach to bullying in school with strategies in place to ensure that teachers really listen to students and tackle the problem – and don’t just pay lip-service to doing so. As part of the national curriculum, we also need to take a more proactive approach towards helping children become more resilient. As the WHO says:
Enhancing social skills, problem-solving skills and self-confidence can help prevent mental health problems such as conduct disorders, anxiety, depression and eating disorders..
The Workplace
On LDV’s #timetotalk day, Maria Pretzler wrote about the need to promote good mental health at work. I cannot add anything to her very good article apart from mentioning bullying. Although, hard to quantify, it is estimated that workplace bullying is costing employers £2 billion a year.
Ideally, in every workplace there would be a designated person with the necessary training to whom a person could turn if they felt they were being bullied. In practice, with shrinking HR departments, or in small companies, this is not going to happen. Therefore, by law, ACAS’ guidance on bullying and the National Bullying Helpline number should be given to everyone starting a new job.
Relationships
We know children benefit when they are brought up in a stable home and, where there are two parents in a household, couples need to understand how the way they interact can seriously affect their children. During ante-natal classes, for example, the emphasis tends to be on the physical aspects of pregnancy and early child-rearing, but prospective parents should be told about the importance of conflict resolution should things go seriously wrong to avoid an unnecessary emotional burden on their children.
Older age and retirement
The life transition towards retirement and older age can be another time when depression and anxiety come to the fore again. Some employers, such as local authorities, offer advice for those retiring, but not all workplaces have the resources to do this. Maybe local Health and Wellbeing boards should run courses to help older people negotiate the work/retirement transition and develop strategies for dealing with the potentially greater isolation they may face.
This is not easy work – and I haven’t had time to consider the impact of economic policy on health – but we cannot give up trying to tackle what makes people experience deeply upsetting psychological problems at key stages in their lives. With mental health costing the economy in excess of £100 billion a year, and causing much individual suffering, more money and thought about prevention would probably be money very well spent.
* Judy Abel is a Liberal Democrat member in Bath. She has worked as constituency office manager for Simon Hughes and currently works for a health think tank, Judy also edits the Wellbeing newsletter for the Anxiety Alliance on a voluntary basis. All views expressed are her own.
