editorial
| Pages | 2-4 |
| Published date | 01 March 2005 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/17465729200500001 |
| Date | 01 March 2005 |
| Author | Lynne Friedli |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care |
editorial
Lynne Friedli
Editor
lynne.friedli@
btopenworld.com
EDITORIAL
2journal of public mental health
vol 4 • issue 1
This issue includes papers from the Four
Nations public mental health debate held
in Edinburgh last year, and also marks our
evolution from the Journal of Mental
Health Promotion to the Journal of Public
Mental Health, subtitled ‘The art, science and politics
of creating a mentally healthy society’. Acheson defined
public health in terms of science and art (Acheson,
1988). We have added politics in recognition both of
the contested nature of mental health and mental illness
and of the impact that political decision-making at all
levels has on the mental health and well-being of the
population. A previous editorial in this journal
described public mental health as providing a
framework:
‘Public mental health (of which mental health
promotion is one element) provides a strategic and
analytical framework for addressing the wider
determinants of mental health, reducing the
enduring inequalities in the distribution of mental
distress and improving the mental health of the
whole population.’ (Friedli, 2004)
It is also an acknowledgement of the many different
disciplines and intellectual traditions that can (and
should) contribute to our thinking and our need to form
alliances with colleagues concerned about the
environment, violence and political conflict, the rise of
fundamentalism, human rights, civil liberties and the
implications of bio-science.
One of the key themes to emerge from the Four
Nations debate was the value and importance of
opportunities to share learning and experience in a spirit
of openness and honesty. The pressure to demonstrate
success, fear of criticising government departments that
provide the main source of funding, and a UK-wide
culture of punishing failure may all contribute to an
endless succession of good practice/good news stories
that inhibit rather than support progress. Public mental
health needs some good publicity and effective strategies
for gaining influence: evidence alone does not secure
resources. But it also needs some robust debate and
interrogation of first principles and conceptual
1Data for the Republic of Ireland refers only to deaths recorded as suicide and is therefore not accurately comparable with data from England, Scotland,
Wales and Northern Ireland.
frameworks. Devolution has provided a favourable
environment for challenging assumptions and asking
questions about the allocation of funding, the
configuration of services and the way in which priorities
are agreed. Certainly colleagues in England and Wales
have found the achievements of the Scottish National
Programme for Improving Mental Health and Well-
being a useful catalyst.
As this journal has previously noted, in Northern
Ireland the overall policy environment is currently
considered favourable to promoting mental health,
stimulating a wide range of activity (Friedli, 2004). In
their cross-border study,Barry et al (2002) found that
mental health promotion is increasingly recognised on
the agendas of a range of statutory and voluntary
agencies, north and south, and the Health Promotion
Agency, Northern Ireland has an extensive database of
mental health promotion initiatives (www.health
promotionagency.org.uk). Recent years have seen a
commitment to addressing levels of mental distress
evident in prevalence figures for mental health problems
in Northern Ireland, which are 25% higher than in
England. Civil conflict has cast a long shadow,
exacerbated by high levels of deprivation and
unemployment. Suicide trends over the last ten years
show a 27% increase in Northern Ireland (and a similar
increase in the Republic),1compared with a nine per
cent decrease in the UK overall (www.nisra. gov.uk).
Promoting social inclusion (PSI) is a key element of
New Targeting Social Need, (Northern Ireland Office,
2003), which has a special focus on mental health, and
promoting mental health and well-being is one of the
objectives of Investing for Health, the regional health
strategy for Northern Ireland launched in 2002. The
strategy and action plan, Promoting Mental Health, was
published by the Department of Health, Social Services
and Public Safety (DHSSPS) in January 2003, following
responses to the consultation document Minding Our
Health 2000 (DHSSPS, 2003).
Promoting Mental Health aims to improve mental
and emotional well-being and to prevent or reduce the
impact of mental illness. Overall, the strategy strikes a
balance between addressing life circumstances and
developing life skills and is based on three principles: a
©Pavilion Publishing (Brighton) Ltd
To continue reading
Request your trial