Mental Health Foundation
‘Mental health problems cost the UK economy at least £117.9 billion annually according to a new report published today by the Mental Health Foundation and London School of Economics and Political Science.
This means the cost of mental health problems is equivalent to around 5% of the UK’s GDP.
Almost three-quarters of the cost (72%) is due to the lost productivity of people living with mental health conditions and costs incurred by unpaid informal carers who take on a great deal of responsibility in providing mental health support in our communities.
Across the UK there were 10.3 million recorded instances of mental ill-health over a one-year period, and the third most common cause of disability was depression.
The report, ‘The economic case for investing in the prevention of mental health conditions in the UK’, makes the case for a prevention-based approach to mental health which would both improve mental wellbeing while reducing the economic costs of poor mental health.
Mark Rowland, Chief Executive of Mental Health Foundation, said: “Our report reveals the monumental cost to the economy of poor mental health. It also demonstrates the opportunity to make a radical change in our approach to mental health by prioritising prevention, resulting in improved wellbeing for all and reducing costs to our economy. We urge governments across the UK to pay attention to what the evidence is telling us and commit to investing in cost-effective prevention interventions that are proven to work.
“Too often decision-makers may ignore or dismiss evidence-based programmes and policies focused on prevention, citing prohibitive expense. The truth is we cannot afford the spiralling costs to both people’s wellbeing and our economy by trying to treat our way out of the mental health crisis. Investing in society-wide measures to prevent poor mental health and address the factors that pose a risk to our mental health, will help people to thrive at every stage of their lives and boost our economy by billions in the long-term.”’
Photo by Dan Meyers on Unsplash
