Centre for Mental Health

Mental health promotion

"Mental health is not only important in itself but is increasingly being recognised as underpinning so many other goals of a successful society. If people are mentally healthy they are more likely to fulfil their educational potential, to form stable relationships, to keep out of the criminal justice system, to contribute to the economy and their local community and to make healthy choices about their lives."

Professor Louis Appleby,
National Director for Mental Health

The benefits

Mental health promotion can:

• improve physical health and wellbeing
• prevent or reduce the risk of some mental health problems
• assist recovery from mental health problems
• improve mental health services and the quality of life for people experiencing mental health problems
• strengthen the capacity of communities to support social inclusion, tolerance and participation and reduce vulnerability to social and economic stresses
• increase the 'mental health literacy' of individuals, organisations and communities
• improve health at work, increasing productivity and reducing sickness absence

Resources

Our former mental health promotion section, mentality, produced some useful resources on mental health promotion.

Feeling Good

Activity sheets that provide parents and 4 to 7 year olds with a resource to help them talk about how they feel and what makes them happy or sad, stressed or secure.

Making it Diverse

Shows how mental health promotion can improve the mental health of Black and minority ethnic communities.

Making it Effective

A guide to the evidence base for mental health promotion.

A Resource for Spiritual and Pastoral Care

A tool with information on mental health and its promotion and protection within congregations and the wider community.

A Toolkit for Mental Health Promotion in the Workplace

To help organisations address issues around mental health at work with a framework for action.

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