When mental illness is a very ‘sane’ response

There is an article on the BBC today about the recession prompting a rise in calls to the helplines of mental health charities.

Rather than a strict dichotomy between mental illness and mental (good) health, the charities are clearly defining their work as supporting people in the management of their mental wellbeing.

Interestingly, the connection between social pressures and mental health is considered absolutely axiomatic.

It seems though – if we are to use the throughput of mental health charities as an indicator of our national mental wellbeing – that the creation of a state-run finance counseling help line would, statistically, lessen the incidence of mental ‘illness’.

Might the mental health sector start to become a dumping ground for the victims of the current economic crisis in the way that SEN staff in state schools find themselves increasingly dealing with children who are victims of abuse?