Well-being in Wandsworth: a public mental health audit

This paper describes a survey of mental health and well-being in the adult population served by Wandsworth Primary Care Trust. The survey was designed as a pilot to obtain benchmark data on public mental health. The findings support the argument that absence of mental ill health does not equate with mental health. More than 12% of the sample were found to have symptoms of mental illness yet reported good mental health, while just over 10% had no symptoms but reported poor mental health. Looking at predictors, the most vulnerable to mental ill health were younger, divorced or separated adults who were unemployed and had a long-term illness or disability. Older couples in good health were among those least likely to have mental health problems. The authors conclude that more sensitive and reliable public mental health indicators are needed to demonstrate clear evidence of improved mental health and to inform future work to improve the mental health and well-being of the local population.