Inequalities and mental health: Overview of evidence
This paper summarises the evidence for informed recommendations to commissioners and providers of mental health services committed to the genuine improvement of community mental health.
16 May 2022
BPS GuidanceA substantial evidence base shows that what groups of people experiencing poor mental health have in common is a significant lack of social power, status and access to, or control of, the key resources that we all need. Essentially, the conditions in which people live affect how they feel and function (Milner & Jumbe, 2020; What Works
Centre for Wellbeing, 2017). This is far from new knowledge but is a neglected area in routine psychological practice. The WHO (2014) report on mental health stresses
the important impact of social and economic environments with social inequalities significantly contributing to risk. The Covid pandemic has drawn more recent attention to these long existing realities (Fancourt & Bradbury, 2021).