Live well
Mental health and wellbeing
Mental health problems represent the single largest cause of disability in the UK. People can be affected by mental health problems at any point in their lives; including new mothers, children, teenagers, adults and older people.
Mental health can be maintained, improved and diminished like physical health. In Southwark, we want to focus on improving wellbeing to improve the population's mental health. At the same time, mental health in Southwark is about ensuring high-quality, accessible and responsive services to improve outcomes for those with a mental illness.
It is estimated that almost one in five adults in Southwark are experiencing a common mental disorder, equating to approximately 47,000 individuals. The prevalence of severe mental illness in Southwark is 1.4% (approximately 3,800 patients) and severe mental illness disproportionately affects male, older and black ethnic population groups. Suicide is seen as a proxy for underlying rates of mental ill-health; in 2013/15 Southwark was one of five London boroughs to report higher suicide rates than the national average.
Southwark Public Health together with key partners and stakeholders have produced many documents identifying the local population needs. Please note that this list will be updated as and when the new information becomes available.
Southwark JSNA reports
- Mental Health JSNA 2017 (PDF, 538kb)
- Suicide and Self Harm JSNA 2017 (PDF, 845kb)
- Long Term Conditions JSNA 2018 (PDF, 854kb)
- Multiple Long Term Conditions in Southwark 2018 (PDF, 706kb)
- Mental Wellbeing of CYP JSNA 2018 (PDF, 731kb)
Other local plans and strategies
External resources
- OHID, Mental Health Dementia and Neurology Profiles
- NatCen Social Research, Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey 2014
- NHS Digital, Mental Health Services Monthly Statistics 2017
Page last updated: 07 February 2024
