Because you’re worth it

In the early days of commissioning mental health services, I tried to explain the value of positive outcome measures, only for purchasers to sneer 'It's not our job to make people happy'.1 Twenty years of scientific research since then has identified key dimensions of wellbeing,2 and the public health benefits of improving mental wellbeing are finally being recognised.3 I felt proud to contribute to two national initiatives: No Health Without Mental Health (aimed at public services)4 and Making the Case for Mental Wellbeing (aimed at policy makers).5 The strategy No Health Without Mental Health included the epiphany that the Minister, David Cameron, and the Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg, have made it clear that the Coalition Government's success will be measured by the nation's wellbeing, not just by the state of the economy.4 Two declared aims of that strategy were to enable more people to 'have better mental wellbeing' and to implement 'a new national measure of wellbeing'.4Much of the UK literature and early attempts to measure wellbeing were egocentric, focusing on an individual's feelings or circumstances. However, when the strategy was first being drafted, the Department of Health recognised that individual 'wellbeing cannot be seen in isolation from wider society'.6 Both mental wellness and misery can be observed at the family, neighbourhood, workplace or school levels, and resilience in the face of adversity may be related to a past history of wellbeing, current social solidarity or future hopes. Embracing these shared understandings may be crucial for preserving our environment7 or adapting to our changing climate.8 This year, the Royal Statistical Society hosted a discussion of UK Measures of National Wellbeing (7th April 2014) where it was clear a valid measure of wellbeing would need multiple perspectives.Compared to other high income countries, a worrying percentage of children and families in the United Kingdom share miserable experiences.9 For example, trajectories throughout development are influenced by parenting, and four out of ten children are now missing out on 'good' parenting.10 For some groups, the challenges of austerity bring insecurity and unhappiness: now 36% of children say their families have been affected by the economic crisis.11 The good news is that many young people are finding their voice: on 12th July 2014, the National Health Service (NHS) Youth Forum held its first national conference, Celebrating Positive Young Mental Health.There is plenty of room for improvement in adult wellbeing, for example, about 4.7 million people in the United Kingdom do not have a single close friend.12 The Liberal Democrat think tank CentreForum has taken a comprehensive approach to The pursuit of happiness: a focus on mental health and wellbeing should be embedded across the work of government, including in the formulation of policies affecting housing, education, employment, planning, welfare and policing.13 The All-Party Parliamentary Group on wellbeing economics subsequently made recommendations about specific areas of policy for the United Kingdom and for local government. This Group proposes that 'Government should publish a Wellbeing Strategy setting out the ultimate wellbeing objectives of policy and how it plans to deliver them', while local authorities should use 'wellbeing in outcomes-based commissioning'. …