Museums of the mind Mental health is perhaps the health issue facing society today: Every year 1 in 4 people will suffer mental health problems Doctors diagnose 6 million people with mental health problems every year About one third of GP consultations are for mental health problems 1 million young people have a mental disorder Mental ill health costs the NHS £23 million per year (about half the total budget) Depression is now the leading cause of disability globally 91 million working days are lost each year through mental ill health There is now a growing recognition that medicine alone cannot halt the rise of mental ill health in this country. Mental well-being is the duty of all institutions in society – and that includes museums. The role of museums is not in treating mental ill-health. Instead it lies in preventing and promoting better mental health through initiatives which improve emotional resilience. We have seen time and again that museum learning projects have increased self-esteem and confidence in individuals, and created stronger communities – all vital ingredients for a society with strong emotional health. But there is so much more potential for museums to underpin the mental health of the nation – if for no other reason than museums touch the lives of about 25 million people every year. Museums can underpin people’s mental resilience by providing access to social networks, offering safety and friendship in a safe, neutral environment, building trust, confidence and self esteem and enabling individuals to take better control of their lives. They can underwrite communities in the same ways too. We wanted to take a proper look at this issue, so we’ve made it one of our priority projects. We call it Museums of the Mind. This link will take you to the evolving report as it develops, with all its imperfections – that’s because we believe in asking people to help create our work, not just be consumers of a finished product. If you’d like to say something about the draft version, please get in touch