That's like having a pandemic every year

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March 2024
Frederico Cardoso

Frederico Cardoso

Senior Economist

Dear friend,

Today we published new economic analysis which finds that the costs of mental ill health have reached £300 billion a year ([link removed]) . This figure is double the NHS’s entire budget in England in 2022. And it's similar to the estimated impact of Covid-19 on the UK economy in 2020. In a sense, the economic impact of mental ill health is like having a pandemic every year.

We know that a £ sign can never fully reflect the devastating impact of mental health problems on people’s lives. But this astounding figure makes a clear case that tackling mental ill health is everyone’s business, and it must spur urgent government action ([link removed]) .

This month we also published new research ([link removed]) into mental health in later life, which finds that older people’s mental health is being widely overlooked. And we’ve shared a great selection of informative and moving blogs ([link removed]) – be sure to check those out.

We still have a long way to go to make equality in mental health a reality. Thank you for continuing to support us ([link removed]) on that journey.
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The economic and social costs of mental ill health

Our analysis finds that the total cost of mental ill health in England in 2022 was £300 billion. This figure is made up of costs to the economy, the health and care sector, and to people with mental health difficulties and their families.

The Government cannot afford to ignore the devastating impact of mental ill health.

It's clearer than ever that we need a comprehensive, cross-government mental health strategy ([link removed]) .
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Mental health in later life

Older people’s mental health has long been overlooked. With Age UK, we explored how ageist attitudes are preventing older people from getting the mental health support they need.

This briefing opens up a conversation that has been left on the margins of policy and practice for too long, and sets out how we can create better mental health for older people.
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Support us today ([link removed])
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Have we ‘gone too far’ on mental health? No. We’re not even close. ([link removed])

by Andy Bell
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We will all go through grief at some point – so why are we so bad at talking about it? ([link removed])

by Nick Treloar
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Managing my mental health during Ramadan ([link removed])

by Zainab Shafan-Azhar
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We need to do more to protect councillors’ mental health ([link removed])

by Councillor Jo Harding
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The home front: connecting housing and mental health ([link removed])

by Andy Bell
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* Mental ill health costs society £300 billion every year, according to new economic analysis ([link removed])
* Downgrading benefits for people with mental health problems is dangerous and won’t help job searching ([link removed])
* Budget is a missed chance to improve mental health ([link removed])
* Older people’s mental health being overlooked, say Centre for Mental Health and Age UK ([link removed])

If you’ve enjoyed reading this newsletter, please consider making a donation towards our work. We can’t continue the fight for equality in mental health without your support.
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