A punchy and thought provoking presentation on the cost of poor mental health from a young champion and advocate working with YoungMinds

1. The Cost Mental health problems impact on all areas of people’s lives

2. The financial cost… The costs of mental health problems to the economy in England have recently been estimated at a massive £105 billion, and treatment costs are expected to double in the next 20 years.

3. The real cost… People with severe mental illnesses die on average 20 years earlier than the general population.

4. The real cost… Depression increases the risk of mortality by 50%and doubles the risk of coronary heart disease in adults

5. The real cost… People with mental health problems often have fewer qualifications, find it harder to both obtain and stay in work, have lower incomes.

6. The real cost… People with mental health problems are more likely to be homeless or insecurely housed, and are more likely to live in areas of high social deprivation.

7. The real cost… The majority of mental health problems affect people early, interrupting their education and limiting their life chances.

8. The real cost… Some 90% of all prisoners are estimated to have a diagnosable mental health problem and/or a substance misuse problem.

9. The real cost… Mental health problems can also contribute to perpetuating cycles of inequality through generations

10. Mental ill health represents up to 23% of the total burden of ill health in the UK – the largest single cause of disability

11. About 1in 100 people has a severe mental health problem and 1 in 4 people will experience some form of mental ill-health in their lifetime.

12. Yetthe stigma attached to mental ill health and the social barriers that surround it amplify its direct effects and damage the life chances of people with mental health problems.

13. We all need to take responsibility for caring for our own mental health and that of others, and to challenge the blight of stigma and discrimination.

14. Early interventions can improve lifetime health and wellbeing, prevent mental illness and reduce costs incurred by ill health, unemployment and crime.

15. Help people to get the treatment they deserve by beating stigma and talking about mental ill health