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Introduction

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What is mental health?

Mental health is a state of mental well-being that enables people to cope with the stresses of life, realise their abilities, learn well and work well, and contribute to their community. Mental health is crucial to personal, community and socio-economic development. 

Mental health is more than the absence of mental disorders. It exists on a complex continuum, which is experienced differently from one person to the next. 

Mental health conditions include mental disorders and psychosocial disabilities as well as other mental states associated with significant distress, impairment in functioning, or risk of self-harm.   

 

Programme Scope

Support UKOTs to strengthen strategy, policies and public awareness to promote and improve mental health. While people with mental health conditions require curative healthcare services, there is also a need to promote good mental health in the community as a whole. The programme takes a whole-of-society approach from cradle to grave to promote initiatives in many sectors of society to optimise population mental health.

Workstream Focus

  • Facilitate improvements across sectors by undertaking assessments of mental health systems and making recommendations, that can feed into national strategy and implementation plans.
  • To promote international evidence and normative guidance to improve the population's mental health.
  • To support the development of anti-stigma campaigns, to tackle discriminatory attitudes and behaviours to mental health that prevent people from flourishing in societies.
  • To address and support the mental health needs of people in prison who may require specific provisions to maintain their wellbeing.

 

Example Projects

  • Facilitating Mind UK to co-design anti-stigma campaigns with Bermuda and British Virgin Islands. More information about the campaign strategies can be found: https://changingmindsglobally.com/f/ukots-stigma-pilots-in-bermuda-bvi-2022.
  • Facilitating Implemental Worldwide CIC to co-design anti-stigma campaigns with Gibraltar and Falkland Islands.
  • Conducted mental health situational analyses in 7 UKOTs.

Networks

  • UKOTs Clinical Psychologist Network

This network is for Clinical Psychologists working across the UKOTs to share experiences, guidance and best practice through presentations and informal discussions. Previous themes have included psychological assessments of children and older people, service delivery during in-person restrictions and various other areas of practice.

The Network meets every 3 months, using the MS Teams platform with secretariat and chairing by UKHSA. For more information or to join the Network please email UKOTs.Programme@ukhsa.gov.uk

This network aims to share successes, challenges and thoughts on how this network can be utilised to improve community mental health within the UKOTs. Previous themes include mental health courts, supporting people with severe mental illness and delivery models through COVID.

The Network meets every 3 months, using the MS Teams platform with secretariat and chairing by UKHSA. For more information or to join the Network please email UKOTs.Programme@ukhsa.gov.uk

Key Resources