Delivering for Mental Health: plan

Our Vision

Good mental health is important to everyone living in Scotland. It underpins the Executive's vision for a healthier, more successful Scotland. Mental illness takes away opportunity. We must work to promote health and prevent illness and where illness occurs to treat it or minimise the damage that it causes.

This is not just about severe and enduring mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, bi-polar disorder and dementia, but also about a wider range of disorders and illnesses including depression and anxiety. While the focus in this plan is on treating and preventing illness, we also want to continue to promote mental health and wellbeing.

Population and social inclusion approaches are important in reducing the number of people who develop mental illnesses and in addressing inequalities in mental health. The Executive is committed to social justice and is working to address poverty, deprivation, inclusion and exclusion across Scotland.

We need to continue to address the stigma still attached to mental illness and ensure that patients, their carers and all who work with them are treated with dignity and respect.

We must ensure that we deliver on our commitments in respect of equality, social inclusion, recovery and rights. Doing this is central to our vision and to the success of the plan.

We have good evidence about what works in the delivery and organisation of care and year on year the treatment available to those suffering from mental illness improves. We also have a better understanding of the importance of other interventions and supports, such as exercise, a good diet, better physical health, good relationships in promoting good mental health and recovery. We must use this evidence effectively to produce better outcomes.