UK must double mental health spending as global bill expected to top £12trillion by 2030, landmark report warns

'We've seen a rise in mental illness in young people when we should be seeing a decrease'

(iStock)

The UK must double its mental health spending to account for 10 per cent of the total health budget, according to a major new report.

The Lancet Commission on Global Mental Health and Sustainable Development has warned that the economic cost of with mental health disorders is expected to take $16 trillion (£12 trillion) a year from the global economy by 2030,

In 2017/18 around £12bn was spent on mental health services in England and the government has pledged a further £20bn for the NHS as a whole by 2023/24, but it has not specified which areas the money will go to.

The report suggested more funding was needed as Theresa May has appointed the first ever minister for suicide prevention as part of a £1.8 million effort to reduce the number of people taking their own lives.

She announced the new role to coincide with World Mental Health Day.

Globally, the Lancet commission also recommended low and middle income countries should raise their spending on mental health from less than 1 per cent of the budget to at least 5 per cent, said the Commission, which brought together 28 experts from around the world.

The commission's joint lead editor Professor Vikram Patel, from Harvard Medical School in the US, said: “Mental health is the foundation of human capability that makes each life worthwhile and meaningful. It is for this reason that there can be no sustainable development without attention to mental health.

“Anyone who cares about poverty, education, social cohesion or economic progress should work to improve mental health, putting the vast knowledge we have on promotion, prevention and care, into action.”

The report, launched at the first Global Ministerial Mental Health Summit in London, said people with mental illness still suffered “gross human rights violations” in many countries.

These included shackling, torture and imprisonment. The Commission called for a human rights approach to dealing with mental health conditions.

Dr Richard Horton, editor-in-chief of The Lancet journal, said: “The Commission calls out the shameful and shocking treatment of people with mental ill health around the world.”

He added: “Everyone is dignity, autonomy and freedom from discrimination.”

The Commission also recommended a “wholesale shift to community-based care” for the mentally ill.

Community health workers, GPs, peers, teachers, and clergy should all play a role, the report said.

Special emphasis should be given to helping children and teenagers, who were facing rising rates of mental illness, the experts added.

Professor Helen Herrman, president of the World Psychiatric Association, said: “We've seen a rise in mental illness in young people when, with all the knowledge we have, we should be seeing a decrease.”

PA contributed to this report