The Cost

Mental health problems impact on all areas of people’s lives

The financial cost…

The costs of mental health problems to the economy in England have

recently been estimated at a massive

£105 billion, and treatment costs are expected to double in the

next 20 years.

The real cost…

People with severe mental illnesses die

on average 20 years earlier than the general population.

The real cost…

Depression increases the risk of

mortality by 50% and

doubles the risk of coronary heart disease in adults

The real cost…

People with mental health

problems often have fewer qualifications, find it harder to both obtain and stay

in work, have lower incomes.

The real cost…

People with mental health problems are more likely to be

homeless or insecurely housed, and are more likely to

live in areas of high social deprivation.

The real cost…

The majority of mental health problems affect

people early, interrupting their

education and limiting their life chances.

The real cost…

Some 90% of all prisoners are estimated to have a

diagnosable mental health problem and/or a substance

misuse problem.

The real cost…

Mental health problems can also contribute to perpetuating

cycles of inequality through

generations

Mental ill health represents up to 23% of the total burden of

ill health in the UK – the

largest single cause of disability

About 1in 100 people has a severe mental health problem and

1 in 4 people will experience some form of mental ill-health in

their lifetime.

Yet the stigma attached to mental ill health and the social

barriers that surround it amplify

its direct effects and damage the life chances of people with

mental health problems.

We all need to take

responsibility for caring for our own mental health and that

of others, and to challenge the blight of stigma and discrimination.

Early interventions can

improve lifetime health and wellbeing, prevent mental

illness and reduce costs incurred by ill health,

unemployment and crime.

Help people to get the treatment they deserve by

beating stigma and

talking about mental ill health