Mental health and mental illness have an impact on all of us, either directly or indirectly – whilst we can all benefit from having good mental health, 1 in 6 adults experienced a common mental health problem in the last week. People with more serious mental illness die 15-20 years earlier than the rest of the population and suicide is the leading cause of death for people between the ages of 10 and 34.
That is why Public Health England has made mental health one of its corporate priority areas in the new 5-year strategy published last month.
PHE's vision is to see measurable improvements in our nation’s mental health, improvements in the health and lives of people living with and recovering from mental illness and reduced rates of suicide. They’re now working on the detail of their vision and will publish their plans in February at the national Mental Health Summit.
All parts of PHE play a significant role in improving mental health and the lives of people living with mental illness.