Public mental health: the local tangibles

Public mental health involves a number of important elements relevant to psychiatrists. This includes estimation of the level and impact of unmet need for treatment of mental disorder, prevention of mental disorder and promotion of mental well-being particularly in higher-risk groups. In the UK, the majority of people with mental disorder receive no intervention. This is despite the large impact and costs of mental disorder and existence of cost-effective interventions which result in economic savings even in the short term. Furthermore, spend is virtually absent for interventions to prevent mental disorder and promote mental well-being despite prominence within government policy and a good evidence base. At a time of budget cuts, local information about level, impact and costs of such unmet need as well as effective interventions are important to accurately inform the required investment for treatment of mental disorder, its prevention and promotion of mental well-being. Information about impact of interventions including economic savings across a broad range of sectors can also be estimated. This article summarises recent public mental health commissioning guidance which provides such information.