New Mental Health Foundation Report Shows Benefits Of Local Authority-Funded Adult Learning In Tackling Depression And Anxiety

Main Category: Depression
Also Included In: Anxiety / Stress;  Mental Health
Article Date: 20 Apr 2011 - 16:00 PDT


UK charity the Mental Health Foundation has today warned that spending cuts for adult learning courses could prove a false economy in terms of tackling the burden mental health problems place on the economy and society. The warnings stem from new research results, published in the Foundation's Learning for Life report, which show that people with mild to moderate depression and anxiety experience significant and lasting improvements in their symptoms as a result of the courses.

Depression and anxiety are the most common mental disorders in the UK, placing a considerable burden on both the wellbeing of the population and the economy. Official figures show that at least 9% of the adult population are affected by mixed anxiety and depression, with a further 4.4% having General Anxiety Disorder and 2.3% having depression1. An estimated fifth of lost working days each year are due to anxiety and depression2.

Using the industry standard Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) to assess Northampton PCT and Northampton County Council's 'Learn 2b' adult learning programme, Learning for Life found that between the start and completion of the adult learning course, symptoms of depression and anxiety reduced by an average of 26% and 22% respectively. Follow up after six and 12 months saw even greater improvements, with average reductions in depressive and anxiety symptoms reaching 35% and 31% respectively compared to pre-course levels.

Commenting on government policy towards adult learning, Simon Lawton-Smith, Head of Policy at the Mental Health Foundation, said:
"The Coalition Government has stated that adult learning is a necessity rather than a luxury, and the findings of our Learning for Life report support this. However, given the Coalition's real-terms reduction in the Adult Safeguarding Learning fund and their cuts to the local authority formula grant, local authorities may find themselves under increasing pressure to axe adult learning services. Learning for Life has shown the value of these services in tackling mental health problems, and given the huge economic and social burden of poor mental health - an estimated £105bn in the UK annually at last count - we need to be very careful that cuts to such services don't end up costing us more, both in human and economic terms, than they save".

Commenting on the implications of the research findings for the treatment of mental health problems, Dr Dan Robotham, Senior Researcher at the Mental Health Foundation and lead author of the Learning for Life report, said:
"The Learning for Life study has shown that community-based adult learning programmes can be very effective in combatting mild to moderate depression, without the stigma and fear so often attached to traditional mental health therapies. In these times of financial pressures, we look forward to such approaches being considered more extensively by mental health commissioners, as part of a more cost-effective alternative or supplement to existing high-cost specialist mental health support".

To download a copy of the report, click here

References

1. NHS Information Centre (2009), Adult Psychiatric Morbidity in England: http://www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/psychiatricmorbidity07
2. Das-Munshi J, Goldberg D, Bebbington PE, Bhugra DK, Brugha TS, Dewey ME et al. (2008) Public health significance of mixed anxiety and depression: beyond current classification. Br J Psychiatry, 192(3):171-177.

Source
Mental Health Foundation

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