Mental Health Awareness
Written on Nov 7, 2025
Throughout my professional career in clinical and forensic psychology, I occasionally entertained the idea that I and my colleagues (most of whom I looked up to and still do) were not just part of the answer as, in some ways, part of the problem. I have continued along this vein since retiring. Maybe it's because, during my training, I was exposed to the writings of the priest and philosopher Ivan Illich and his collaborators and their book Disabling Professions (London: Marion Bowers, 1977). This described how certain influential (and largely state-funded) professions thrive by cultivating disability and neediness in their client populations.
Why should I still take these ideas seriously? Indeed, I do question whether I am on the right track in thinking this way. And yet, hardly a week goes by when I hear about or learn something that supports this conviction. Just this week I listened to BBC Radio 4's 'All in the Mind' which, amongst other topics, concerned the effect of providing classes in mental health and wellbeing to schoolchildren.
I am not a teacher, but for many years I have volunteered as an invited speaker in many schools and latterly, also as a reading assistant in an infant school. Over this time I have become aware of the growing presence of the subject of 'mental health' in the classroom, both in the conversations of pupils (as in someone having 'mental health issues') and the content of posters and artwork on classroom walls. In fact, in September 2020 it became a statutory requirement for all pupils, regardless of risk or need, to be taught about mental (as well as physical) health as part of the Relationships, Health and Sex Education curriculum. The classes are aimed at raising awareness and understanding of mental health problems and remedial practices such as CBT and mindfulness.
These developments are based on the accepted narrative that, for reasons that are currently much debated, people are increasingly suffering from mental health problems or psychological disorders, and children are no exception. Hence the wisdom of early preventative action within our primary and secondary educational system, informed by evidence-based practices.
On the above-mentioned radio programme, listeners heard from psychologist Dr Lucy Foulkes of the University of Oxford about the research that she and her colleagues and others have been undertaking to evaluate the effectiveness of these interventions. When only the most well-designed and well-executed studies are considered, the news is not good. It seems that not only are these lessons ineffective overall, but some pupils also report an increase in mental health problems, notably symptoms of anxiety and depression.
Now this does not mean that schools should just abandon efforts to help children nurture their mental health and wellbeing in the face the stresses they encounter in their daily lives. But it's back-to-the-drawing-board time! And this requires serious consideration of why actions that commonsense suggested should of psychological benefit to children had no such effect and seemingly left some of them feeling more anxious and depressed.
Now here's a second bit of news I read about this week. A report by the former John Lewis boss Sir Charlie Mayfield reveals that there are now 800,000 more people out of work than in 2019 owing to health problems, costing UK employers around £85 billion a year and the country around 7% of GDP. Furthermore, unless action is taken, 600,000 more will be added to the total by 2030. The review adds that the increase in 16 to 34-year-olds who are economically inactive due to a long-term mental health condition (usually associated with anxiety and depression) rose by 190,000 (76%) between 2019 and 2024.
Are the two pieces of news summarised here in any way connected? More coming soon.
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