Mental Health Inequality Briefing
First published on 22 November 2017
Mental Health Inequality Briefing
Today, NHS Health Scotland has published our latest Inequality Briefing on mental health. It outlines two specific strands relating to social inequalities and mental health: (1) mental health inequalities as an (often neglected) component of health inequalities; and (2) the social and health inequalities experienced by people with mental health problems. This briefing sets out actions to address these issues based on evidence of what works.
Shirley Windsor, Organisational Lead for Public Mental Health said:
“We know that one in six adults in Scotland experience a common mental health problem and those problems are not equally distributed across the population. The fact that those who are socially disadvantaged are at increased risk is unacceptable. We need to focus on evidence-informed strategies delivered at a population level to address the determinants of mental health problems in order to prevent them in the first place. Working collaboratively across different policy sectors at all stages in life can help prevent mental health problems and reduce mental health inequalities.”