Mental Health- recognising the signs and helping yourself.

The global mental health crisis is a major issue facing the world today. The numbers are staggering.  Mental illness affects an estimated 950 million people worldwide and is the leading cause of disability across all age groups. In addition, mental health issues are the leading cause of suicide, accounting for over 800,000 deaths per year.

In recent years there is a clear increase in levels of stress and anxiety, as well as a rise in mental health disorders. The crisis is further complicated by the fact that there is a lack of access to mental health services in many parts of the world, and that stigma and discrimination towards those with mental illness is still prevalent.

In March 2023, the Mental Health Foundation worked with Opinium to conduct an online survey of 6,000 UK adults aged 18+ to look at anxiety in the UK population, its causes, and popular coping mechanisms.

Nearly three-quarters of the population (73%) had felt anxious at least sometimes in the previous two weeks, with one in five people (20%) anxious most or all of the time.

• Some groups of people are more likely to be affected by anxiety than others. Nearly all young people (18 to 24 years) in our research (86%) had felt anxious in the previous two weeks. For over half (58%), this had stopped them undertaking day-to-day activities. Other groups more likely to report feeling anxious were:
  • Single parents (89%)
  • LGBTQ+ people (89%)
  • Carers (84%)
  • 18 to 34-year-olds (86%)
  • People from a minority ethnic community (84%)
  • People with a long-term physical health condition (LTC) (82%)