Mental health and wellbeing resilience

JSNA > Living Well

Mental health and wellbeing refers to a combination of feeling good and functioning effectively. Good mental health is the foundation for wellbeing and the effective functioning of individuals and communities. It impacts on how individuals think, feel, communicate and understand, and is fundamental to physical health, relationships, education, work, and to achieving our potential. It enables us to manage our lives successfully and live to our full potential.

Poor mental health is the lack of feeling good and functioning effectively. Poor mental health affects a high proportion of the population, of all ages and from all stages of life. Its impacts are felt across society on family life, friends and relationships, education, finding work, working, caring for others, leisure pursuits and retirement.

As we tackle the challenges of mental health in society post Covid, a Public Mental Health approach is essential in taking a population-based preventative approach that considers primary, secondary and tertiary prevention and the interplays between all three. A public mental health approach is concerned with promoting mental wellbeing, preventing future mental health problems and with recovery from mental illness.

In summary, Mental health is more than the absence of mental illness. It is a state of wellbeing in which an individual realises their own assets, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and is able to make a contribution to their community. Mental health is therefore of universal benefit to all, underpinning our health and functioning throughout life and as our circumstances change so does our mental health.

Mental health, resilience and wellbeing data report: Click the report tabs to explore more data around mental health and wellbeing in County Durham. Click on the expand button in the bottom right of the box to open in full screen mode.

Audits and Assessments

County-Durham-HIA-Health-Inequalities-COVID-Final (PDF; 2Mb)

Our strategies, plans and groups

The Health and Wellbeing Board’s Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2023-28  contains four priorities. One of these is ‘Improving mental health, resilience and wellbeing’. The strategy lists the following  differences which we can expect to see in  the life of the JLHWS (2028):

● Improvement in self-reported wellbeing
● Reductions in reported anxiety levels
● Reductions in depression levels
● Reductions in demand for specialist mental health services
● Reduction in suicide rates
● Increase in people reporting they can access the right help when they need it
● Reducing premature mortality for adults with Severe Mental Illness

County Durham Care Partnership Plan

Strategic assets – Mental Health and Wellbeing

Strategic assets are:

  • services, activities, and initiatives that we commission or grant fund for the benefit of communities across County Durham
  • resources that we have available to us to support communities across County Durham such as workforce, training, or partnerships
  • knowledge and insight that our communities and workforce have that they have told us about through research, consultation or other forms of engagement
  • experience that our communities and workforce have of living or working in County Durham and/or services that are provided

For more information visit our Strategic assets page.

Coming soon… Children and Young People strategic assets

Other Intelligence Tools

 

Average (mean) personal well-being ratings, UK, year ending March 2012 to March 2022

The evidence base

Other relevant links