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Mental Health – What are the issues in Oxfordshire?
Severe mental illness affects many people each year. The Office for National Statistics puts the figure at one in six adults as having significant mental health problems at any one time1. Oxfordshire’s population is 626,9002. This means that at any one time about 100,000 people in our county will have a mental health problem. These will range from depression to psychotic illness, some people will need to go to hospital, some will struggle through by themselves, and everyone will be disadvantaged by their experience and will need support to overcome it.
Significant numbers of people with mental health problems in Oxfordshire are not contributing to the economic life of the county. 628,000 adults of working age in Great Britain regard mental illness as their main disability. Only 21 per cent of these adults are in employment – the lowest rate for any group with disabilities3. There are 12,800 (roughly 2% of the population) people claiming Incapacity Benefit/Severe Disability Allowance in Oxfordshire and 43% of these claimants had “mental and behavioural disorders" as their main issue4. This is the largest cause for claiming IB/SDA. 71% of claimants have been on IB or SDA for over 3 years. Enabling people to move off benefits and into work helps people to be part of the community, increases mental health, and saves government money.
Isolation, stigma and discrimination, and lack of employment create and maintain poor mental health. Once mental health problems develop, they can often have a negative impact on employability, housing, household income, opportunities to access services and social networks – potentially leading to severe economic deprivation and social isolation. People with poor mental health are four times less likely to have someone to talk to about their problems, compared to the general population.5 25% of respondents to a government survey agreed that anyone with a history of mental problems should be excluded from public office, and 16% that people with mental illness should not be given any responsibility. 6
Employment, activity, and opportunities tackle the causes and the effects of poor mental health. Taking part in constructive and purposeful activities enables people to improve their self confidence, self esteem, and work related skills. An individualised model of rehabilitation seems to promote the right conditions for success at work and there is strong evidence that people who actively participate in an occupational intervention are more likely to get jobs.7 There is a strong evidence base showing that work is generally good for physical and mental well-being. 8. Work that develops the ability of people with mental health problems to contribute to the community directly challenges attitudes of stigma and discrimination.
1 Office of National Statistics, 2000, Psychiatric morbidity among adults living in private households in Great Britain.
2 Oxfordshire Data Observatory, 2006.
3 Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, Social Inclusion Unit, 2003, Mental Health Scoping Note.
4 Office of National Statistics, August 2006, NOMIS, www.nomisweb.co.uk Note: claimants counts are rounded to the nearest 100 and are subject to sampling variation.
5 Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, Social Inclusion Unit, 2003, Mental Health Scoping Note.
6 Office of National Statistics, 2003, Attitudes to Mental Illness Report.
7 Department of Health, Summer 2003, Expert Briefing: Employment for People with Mental Health problems.
8 Gordon Waddell and A Kim Burton, 2006, TSO, Is Work Good for your Health and Well-Being?