Calling on political parties to build a mentally healthier nation
The nation’s mental health is a precious resource. Securing better mental health for more people will create a fairer and healthier future for us all. That is why we have joined over 70 mental health organisations, including Mind, Mental Health Foundation, Place2Be and Young Minds, in calling on all political parties to commit to building a mentally healthier nation.
With a general election around the corner, we need every party to prioritise mental health.
The cost-of-living crisis is just the latest in a series of events that have worsened the circumstances of many people’s lives and placed public services under severe strain. The combination of deteriorating living conditions and weakened support has led to rapidly worsening mental health in the UK resulting in tens of thousands of premature deaths, millions of people suffering, and tens of billions of pounds of economic cost every year.
As the professional body for art therapists in the UK, we know that access to high quality psychological services, including art therapy, is crucial to support people. Art therapists provide invaluable support to people from all backgrounds across the UK, every day. But rates of poor mental health are rising, and we urgently need a long-term plan to address the mental health crisis.
Properly funded and managed programmes like Improving Access to Psychological Therapies through the NHS, and the Better Mental Health Fund, where councils were supported to prevent ill health, prove that positive change is possible.
Art therapists provide invaluable support to people from all backgrounds across the UK, every day. But rates of poor mental health are rising, and we urgently need a long-term plan to address the mental health crisis. We need strategic investment to prevent mental illness, and properly funded services to ensure equal access to therapy for those who need it, including art therapy. This is why we are supporting a mentally healthier nation, to call on all political parties to commit to a ten-year mental health strategy.
Gary Fereday, chief executive
What is a mentally healthier nation?
Many of the leading mental health organisations have come together to suggest more ways in which the next government could make further improvements and save lives.
A Mentally Healthier Nation suggests focusing on:
- Prevention: improving economic and environmental circumstances, especially for the poorest people, to reduce mental and physical illnesses.
- Equality: reducing inequalities by taking meaningful measures to tackle discrimination and promote fairness.
- Support: enabling the right support from properly resourced services, to help people enjoy better mental health outcomes.
We’re calling on all parliamentary candidates to take up these these policies, and for the next government to deliver them.
Art therapy supporting a mentally healthy nation
Art therapy is an established form of psychotherapy, delivered by highly trained art therapists (also known as art psychotherapists). It uses visual and tactile media as a means of self-expression and communication.
Art therapists aim to support people of all ages and abilities and at all stages of life, to discover an outlet for often complex and confusing feelings and foster self-awareness and growth. There is a growing body of evidence of its effectiveness.
In the UK, the title art therapist and art psychotherapist are protected by law. There are over 2,500 registered art therapists working in a wide range of settings, including; healthcare, education, charities, prisons and in private practice. They can be found on the HCPC’s register and on our find an art therapist search tool.
How you can support a mentally healthier nation
Write to your local candidates
Email your local parliamentary candidates asking them to make mental health a priority and commit to the policies in the mentally healthier nation.
To find the names of your local candidates, visit who can I vote for?
Share the manifesto
Share the manifesto with friends, colleagues, and on social media with the hashtag #AMentallyHealthierNation:
- You can find us, the British Association of Art Therapists, on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.
- You can find the Centre for Mental Health on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram.