Sarah Hughes, Centre for Mental Health’s Chief Executive, shares a message:
“Centre for Mental Health is committed to addressing inequalities in mental health through evidence-based policy work and ground-breaking research to promote better systems, access and support.
We know that the coronavirus pandemic is a physical health emergency on a global scale, such as we have never seen in our lifetimes. But it is also a mental health emergency. Both the coronavirus illness itself and the measures governments have had to take to contain it are placing enormous stress on people’s emotional health and wellbeing.
For people whose lives are restricted by self-isolation or social distancing, as well as fears about the virus itself, about shortages of essential supplies and worries about money, the emotional and psychological effects can be overwhelming. For people already living with mental health difficulties, the added pressures of the current situation, combined with limits to the capacity of health and care services to provide ongoing support, may have profound short and long-term impacts.
Centre for Mental Health is taking action to help those at the frontline of this mental health crisis. Our high quality, evidence-based research, evaluation and policy advice has never been more important during this time of uncertainty. We are now working quickly to address the crisis. We are sharing high quality resources and evidence with people working across the country to support mental health at this time. We have produced advice for voluntary and community organisations on how they can get through the crisis. And we are looking ahead to the challenges to come to help services be prepared for the after-effects of widespread trauma, anxiety and isolation.
Now more than ever, your support is so valuable. We want to encourage you to take this journey with us. Together we can build on the foundation of our 35 years’ experience of providing life changing research, economic analysis and evidence-based policy advice in mental health in response to this mental health crisis: now, during the recovery and beyond.”
