“ Mental health governs our quality of life, our relationships and our aspirations. Good mental health is fundamental to the resilience of individuals, families, communities and businesses. It decides, in short, whether a society is flourishing or floundering.”1 As social marketeers, and as an organisation that is dedicated to improving the health and well-being of our nation, it is impossible to ignore how our mental health impacts almost all areas of our life in the UK. The world now is a very different place to the one that our parents and grandparents occupied. Social, economic and environmental factors all contribute challenges to our mental wellbeing – and manifest themselves in pressures on the individual, the economy and the fabric of our society. One in six people in the UK suffer from depression at any one time – yet only a handful of these individuals proactively seek treatment. This leads to a high instance of absence from work, and costs the UK economy an estimated £77 billion, mainly in lost productivity.2
More importantly, and something we have suspected for years, is the impact that a poorly maintained mental health has on the life of the individual; from a reduction in life expectancy, poor physical health, educational underachievement, descent into criminality, inability to maintain a home and sporadic employment status. We believe that the promotion of mental health treatment pathways, whilst breaking down social stigmas associated with acknowledgement and treatment, will contribute to our sociological development and the elimination of health inequalities. We believe that educating society on the relationship between a healthy body and a healthy mind – and the impact this can have on one’s individual life choices – will speed this recovery and management. We also believe that education from an early age, management and support is the long-term solution to the problem. Here at Gingernut Creative we have created some design concepts to support the key messages of the government’s ‘New Horizons’ document. We have also drawn on some key principles of mental health and well-being; the experience and expertise we have acquired in designing and strategising for the NHS, local and regional authorities.
1
Source: The Rt Hon Andy Burnham, Secretary of State for Health
2
Source: Department of Health (July 2009) ‘New Horizons: Towards a shared vision for mental health – consultation’
We also offer a full traditional design service, so if you have any particular ideas you would like to discuss, please give us a call on 0121 779 1999 – we’d be delighted to assist in any way we can.