Public mental health: a psychiatry and public health perspective

Mental health issues are fast becoming one of society’s greatest health challenges with evidence of higher levels of illness and strain on psychiatric services. The reasons for this trend of increasing mental health problems across the population are complex and there is an urgent need to research and deliver effective public mental health strategies. In this perspective piece we argue that psychiatrists and public health physicians have unique knowledge and perspectives on population mental health. The development of interdisciplinary initiatives and training posts would result in clinicians with expertise to drive forward public mental health strategies. Focused and sustained advocacy and collaboration are necessary for prioritisation of public mental health on policymakers’ agendas.

Art and psychiatry in the 21st century: here's to more messy – and magical – entanglements

Summary In a volatile world, during a time of multiple crises and amid a projected upsurge in mental illnesses as an aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, now is a critical time to consider how art and psychiatry can entangle with each other. Submissions like that of Lily Aston can create new spaces for conversation, reflection and constructive collisions. This can help disrupt and extend the state of psychiatry, management of psychiatric services, and education and training in mental healthcare, and advance how we understand other bodies and minds around us, and how knowledge can be created.