Improving Mental Wellbeing Across Essex

1.1 Good mental wellbeing is the foundation for good mental health. Mental wellbeing relates to our sense of self, ability to meet our potential, develop relationships and perform activities we think are important and worthwhile. Evidence shows that the better our mental wellbeing the more able we are to cope with life’s stresses, and the less likely we are to become unwell. However, worryingly, we see that levels of anxiety are on the rise, particularly among 16 – 29 year olds where rates are six times higher compared with adults over the age of 70. 1.2 Although related to mental wellbeing mental health problems are concerned with specific signs and symptoms which indicate a diagnosable condition that affects our emotional state, physical function, behaviour and thinking and can impact on our ability to work, care for our families and contribute to society. Nearly 1 in 4 people experience a mental health problem of some kind. That’s potentially over 300,000 people in Essex. 1.3 Mental wellbeing and mental health problems vary along a continuum, not only between individuals but also at different times in the same person. There are many reasons a person can experience poor mental health, some of which include: unemployment or job insecurity, debt, bereavement, relationship breakdown, insecure housing, trauma, caring responsibilities, immigration status, domestic abuse, life event, crime and physical illness. What’s more an accumulation of these factors increases the risk. 1.4 There is strong evidence that therapeutic and pharmacological interventions are effective at treating mental health problems. However, to help protect positive wellbeing and prevent mental health problems the evidence highlights five pillars of activity: a. Connecting with others - this can help build a sense of belonging, self-worth and value. b. Getting active - physical activity helps to maintain positive mental wellbeing by raising self-esteem and causing chemical changes in your brain which help to positively change mood. c. Mindfulness – taking notice of how you feel and the world around you can help individuals better manage feelings of stress and anxiety and change the way that they deal with challenges. d. Learning – learning a new skill or developing competence can boost self-esteem and give a sense of purpose. e. Giving – participating in social and community life crates positive feelings and a sense of reward, purpose and self-worth. 1.5 Essex County Council has undertaken discovery work to better understand what residents and professionals experiences are of services that seek to prevent and treat mental health problems across Essex. This included digital ethnographic work with 18 residents, a survey of 103 residents and 146 professionals, a workshops involving 40 residents and 86 professionals. 1.6 From the discovery work we have identified that: a. Residents find it hard to take action to care for their own mental wellbeing and mental health problems as they are unclear on what to do and where to go. Regardless of their level of need they either don’t know about or find it difficult to navigate existing services. b. Residents often end up going to their GP for help as they don’t know what else to do. c. Residents often find that their mental health problems aren’t severe enough to warrant clinical intervention or, if they are, they end up on a protracted waiting list for a service. d. The majority of professionals did not believe that there was a sufficient prevention or early intervention offer. 1.7 From this work ECC has identified a need to provide on demand support to residents to: improve and maintain positive mental wellbeing; prevent or improve emerging or existing mental health problems; and reduce the likelihood of recurrence of mental health problems, by: a. Helping them to assess their own mental wellbeing needs, helping them set personalised goals and supporting them to identify and engage with existing self-help resources and existing services which match their needs. b. providing expert advice and information, from trusted sources, on a range of mental wellbeing and mental health topics. c. use behavioural science informed approaches that will support residents to adopt and maintain behaviours that align with the five pillars of wellbeing. d. Providing expert advice on the range of free local services that could meet the wellbeing needs identified by the resident. e. facilitating self/professional referral into clinical services e.g. talking therapies, as appropriate, and provide notifications on how the referral is progressing. If you are interested in this opportunity, please make contact with: Katherine.Thompson@essex.gov.uk