According to reliable reports, mental illness costs the UK economy over 25 billion pounds a year. But that is nothing compared with the human cost. Official statistics show that people who suffer from common mental illness like depression and schizophrenia are about four times more likely to take their own lives. Another somewhat shocking statistic is that more than half of all mentally ill people abuse drugs and alcohol.

According to doctors, the reason for this is both simple and tragic. The fact is that many mentally ill people use drugs and alcohol as a way of numbing themselves to the pain of life. Over time, of course, these patients become fully-fledged alcoholics and addicts.

Now, you might be wondering why these patients just don’t take their medication. The answer for this isn’t exactly clear. We do know, however, that many prescription drugs, like the powerful lithium, have serious side effects that some patients simply cannot endure. Has the mental health care system failed these people?

Again, this is not an easy question to answer because mental illness is often not an easy condition to diagnose. In fact, many people live for decades with a treatable illness and refuse to reveal them to anyone. This, of course, has little to do with the system and more to do with society at large.

The simple and sad truth is that there is still a stigma attached to mental illness and as a result people often refuse to admit that they need help. Fortunately, the country has invested in several anti-stigma campaigns over the past few years to help raise awareness and public understanding of this critical social issue.

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