Mental health matters
Today is World Mental Health Day – A chance to talk about mental health and why’s it’s so important to look after it, as well as to highlight a wealth of supporting resources published by the BPS.
10 October 2023
World Mental Health Day is about raising awareness of mental health and this year's theme is that 'Mental health is a universal right'.
It's also a chance also to talk about mental health, how we need to look after it, and how important it is to get help if you are struggling.
Figures published by the NHS reveal that 1.75 million people were in contact with mental health services at the end of June 2023. The majority of these (1,136,347) were in contact with adult services with 431,855 people in contact with children and young people's mental health services at this time.
During June, mental health services received 424,645 new referrals.
As World Mental Health Day puts the focus on driving positive change for everyone's mental health, the BPS would like to remind members of the wealth of guidance and documents available for psychologists and other staff working in mental health to support them in their work with patients, as well as for decision-makers and service users, carers and families.
Much of the guidance has been produced with the input and expertise of BPS members and the society's network groups themselves.
As a profession, psychology has a wealth of knowledge, experience and talent to apply to help improve the lives of patients in a range of settings and disciplines.
Below are just some of the guidance/documents available. For a full list of resources, go to the guidelines and documents library on the BPS website.
Guidelines and documents available include:
- Psychological services within the Acute Adult Mental Health Care Pathway (Guidelines for service providers, policy makers and decision makers)
- Acute Care Pathway Service Guidelines: Advice for service users, carers and families
- Guidance on responding to disclosures of non-recent (historic) child sexual abuse: Safeguarding and support implications
- Guidance on the use of Psychologists as Expert Witnesses in the Family Courts in England and Wales (Standards and Competencies) – June 2023
- Working with individuals who have engaged in stalking
- Mindfulness-based approaches: A guide for psychologists
- A guide to psychosocial interventions in early stages of dementia
- Children's right to play
- Welcoming and supporting refugee children: Information for schools
- Psychological interventions for people with Huntington's disease, Parkinson's disease, motor neurone disease, and multiple sclerosis
- Understanding Depression