Here are some sobering statistics about mental health in Herefordshire and the south-west and west Midlands areas.
Herefordshire is an area with a high incidence of male suicide. (Source: NHS Digital’s data set for mortality by suicide, see also Hereford Times news article, 20 April 2019.)
Men here are at least three times as vulnerable to death by suicide as women. (Source: Office of National Statistics: Suicides in the UK 2018.)
People in the south west of England are among the most likely to have experienced a mental health disorder in the last week. (Source: Mental Health Statistics for England: prevalence, services and funding (2018), Research briefing, Parliament.UK website.)
There’s evidence that creative or personal writing can be a useful tool to help people express their feelings and cope with mental health issues. Read our links on creative writing and mental health.