title: Why the way we are living may be bad for our mental well-being, and what we might choose to do about it: responding to a 21st Century public health challenge.
abstract: With economic recession biting ever harder, rates of mental ill-health rising and levels of mental well-being falling, this article suggests that it is time to critique the progress we have made, re-evaluate what it is that makes life worth living, and consider what public health may have to offer in the 21st Century. This article focuses on three distinct areas: the public health challenge; the broader societal challenges; and suggestions for effective responses. It argues that mental well-being, both individually and collectively, is a public health resource that, until now, has been underplayed and undervalued in traditional approaches to public health. Drawing on the evidence, it promotes the need for a more integrated approach to public health for the future, pulling together action and evidence on both physical and mental health and well-being, with the ultimate aim of creating a more mentally healthy society.
authors: Wellbeing and Public Mental Health Lead, The NHS Confederation, 29, Bressenden Place, London SW1E 5DD, United Kingdom. Electronic address: gregorwell@gmail.com.
authors: G
authors: G
authors: Henderson
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008603:Mental Health; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D011634:Public Health