Our prevention mission isn’t as straight forward as providing a crisis helpline, or support services. Prevention is about looking for the root causes of today's problems rather than treating the symptoms. We want to answer the question, where is this mental health epidemic coming from? And how can we prevent it from getting any worse?
At the Mental Health Foundation, we've identified the things that contribute the most to mental ill-health. Individual actions matter, but we also know that individuals can’t do this alone. In order for the prevention mission to be sustainable and effective, we need government and policy makers to take action. Our programmes and our policy work are designed to address these issues from the top-down and bottom-up.
Making prevention happen
For society
Because many of the things that can prevent poor mental health are bigger than individuals and communities, they require structural changes in our world.
For those at risk
Because the risk and the impact of mental health problems is greatest for those who experience inequality and disadvantage.
For everyone
Because we all have mental health, and with the right tools we can protect and promote this at every stage of life.
Influencing policy
We influence politicians and policy-makers to address key social inequalities and risk factors which contribute to people developing mental ill health.
If governments don’t make changes from the top-down, e.g. increasing investment into integrated care systems or improving safeguarding in schools, then the prevention mission won’t work.
Positive impact programmes
There are also those individuals who, due to inequalities and disadvantages out of their control, are most at risk of developing mental ill health.
At the Mental Health Foundation, we work directly with at-risk young people, vulnerable parents, refugees & asylum seekers, and people with long-term health conditions.
Our programme work seeks to find ways to support these priority groups, equipping individuals with the tools, connections, and experiences to manage & nurture their own mental health.
Information people can trust
We provide the tools to everyone to protect and promote their own mental health.
Every year, over 4 million people access our online resources and our in-house research team ensures that all the information people read is evidence-based, and rigorously tested.
Any guidance from the Mental Health Foundation is always backed-up by research.
Successfully preventing mental health problems will mean a better quality of life overall, improved physical health, less substance abuse issues, fewer suicides, and everyone making a more complete contribution to society. Stopping mental health problems before they get serious, is a big step towards everyone thriving.