12 September 2016
Saturday 10 September was World Suicide Prevention Day. The World Health Organisation estimates that over 800,000 people die by suicide each year, that is a huge number that amounts to one person every 40 seconds.
Suicide represents an extreme form of mental and emotional distress, but there are many more people living with mental health issues that won’t attempt to take their own lives. The NHS estimates that one in four adults and one in ten children experience mental illness. Mental illness can come in many forms: grief, anxiety, depression, panic, shame, post traumatic shock – to name but a few and that is without mentioning dementia.
Mental health is now such an important issue that the NHS has recognised that it needs to be an intrinsic element of every Sustainability and transformation plan, and yet we know districts are often excluded from these.
District Councils do not have medical training, but we can help to shape an environment that is conducive to mental wellbeing, that will support health professionals in their battle to defeat mental health issues.
Planning and Housing are the obvious places to start. Creating environments with green spaces, parks and trees, not isolating single dwelling homes, making sure homes are built that are of good design and fit for purpose will go a long way in helping with mental wellbeing. Local connection policies for affordable homes helps to keep families and communities together, helps combat isolation and keeps support networks close by, all of which help to support wellbeing.
But that is just the tip of the ice burg. There is so much more that District Councils do everyday. Environmental Health investigate noise nuisances. Sometimes these are linked to mental health. People with a mental health condition could be more sensitive to noise or less aware of the noise that they are making that is upsetting their neighbours. Often it is Environmental Health officers that come across the early onset of dementia for reasons such as these. We need to find a way to link Environmental Health into the health service.
Leisure – whether in the form of exercise or the arts helps with overall mental wellbeing. District Councils are the leisure authorities with responsibility for leisure centres and sometimes local theatres. Isolation is often a cause of suicide, and men are particularly at risk of attempting to take their own lives. District Councils have huge community links into choirs, charities and others that can help combat isolation and help with general wellbeing
The Economic development work of District Councils helps to create and sustain local employment and employment helps with mental wellbeing.
Another role of district councils that can be overlooked is our community safety role. We help to prevent and increase reporting of domestic abuse – which can lead to future mental health issues both for the victim and any children involved. Bullying can also impact on mental health and districts often have or support programmes that help prevent bullying.
That’s without mentioning youth work that Districts engage in whether it is holiday activities for families on low incomes, support for young carers and online safety, cyber bullying and self- harming – all play their part in nourishing mental wellbeing.
District Councils all over the country are playing a vital role in creating age-friendly and dementia-friendly communities. Making sure people are living in suitable housing, making sure housing and public buildings are dementia-friendly working with businesses and communities to create dementia-friendly environments where people living with dementia can live independently and safely for as long as possible.
District Councils are vital when it comes to creating an environment that promotes wellbeing in general – but mental health in particular. And therefore, although our contribution is often seriously underestimated, we are an important partner for the Government, NHS and County Councils when it comes to tackling mental health.
