Leaders | Compassion and its consequences

How to stop over-medicalising mental health

What the world could learn from Britain’s flawed approach

FOR A PLACE with a reputation for buttoned-up stoicism, Britain is remarkably open about mental health. The British are more likely than people in any other rich country to think that mental illness is a disease like any other. Only the Swedes are more accepting of the idea that a history of mental-health problems should not disqualify someone from public office. The importance of good mental health is a cause vigorously championed by everyone from the Princess of Wales to the opposition leader, Sir Keir Starmer; employers preach the gospel of well-being. Britons were once encouraged to hide their feelings; now they are urged to seek support.

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This article appeared in the Leaders section of the print edition under the headline “Britain’s mental-health mess”

From the December 9th 2023 edition

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