Mental health in the UK - key statistics
What Mental Health really means and why the UK needs to act
Mental health is not a niche topic. It is not something that only affects a small number of people, or something that only becomes relevant in moments of crisis. Mental health shapes how we think, feel, and act every single day. It influences how we handle stress, relate to others, make decisions, and navigate the world around us.
Yet despite its universal relevance, mental health continues to be significantly underfunded, underdiagnosed, and undertreated across the UK. Millions of people suffer in silence often for years before receiving any meaningful support. And for many, that support never comes at all.
Mental health is not a luxury. It is a basic human right. And the conditions in which people live, work, and receive care have a profound impact on whether that right is protected or eroded.
The most common mental health conditions affecting people in the UK today include anxiety disorders, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, burnout, and chronic loneliness, the last of which has been identified by the government as one of the most significant public health challenges of our time.
For the families and individuals we support at Special People including children and young adults with learning disabilities, autism, and complex health conditions these challenges are often compounded. The unique pressures of living with or caring for someone who requires significant daily support create additional emotional weight that too often goes unacknowledged.
of unpaid carers report experiencing mental ill health as a direct result of their caring role.
Source: Carers UK
This year’s Mental Health Awareness Week, led by the Mental Health Foundation, carried a theme that moved beyond conversation: Action. Not just awareness, not just acknowledgement, but concrete, deliberate steps, however small that protect and improve mental wellbeing for individuals, communities, and those with the power to drive systemic change.
One positive action to boost your own mental health.
Help build mentally healthy communities and workplaces.
Urging those in power to act for everyone’s mental health.
How this landed for us at Special People
Every year, Mental Health Awareness Week gives us a moment to stop, reflect, and speak openly about something that touches every corner of the work we do. But this year felt different. The word Action resonated deeply across our whole team, because it is exactly what we believe in.
Awareness, on its own, is not enough. Real change only comes when we do something. When we check in on a colleague who seems quiet. When we ask for help instead of pushing through. When we actively build care environments where mental wellbeing is not an afterthought, but a foundation.
We Wore It Green - Thursday 14 May
On Thursday, our team joined hundreds of thousands of people across the UK in taking part in Wear It Green Day the official action of Mental Health Awareness Week 2026.
Across our offices and out in the community, our carers and staff wore green to show solidarity with everyone living with mental health challenges.
Visibility matters. And sometimes the most powerful action is simply showing up and saying: this matters to us too.
Mental Health and Care: Why they cannot be separated
If you work in care or if you are a family member supporting a child or young adult with additional needs, you already know that mental health is not a separate concern from physical health or daily routine. They are completely intertwined.
At Special People, our carers work in some of the most emotionally demanding environments. They build deep, meaningful relationships with the individuals and families they support. They show up on difficult days, navigate complex behaviours, and bring warmth and consistency to people who depend on it entirely.
That kind of work requires emotional resilience. And emotional resilience requires support.
This is why mental health is not something we only think about during awareness weeks. It is embedded in how we recruit, how we train, how we manage our team, and how we build our culture day to day.
Actions we take every week to protect our team's mental health
- Regular one-to-one check-ins: not just about workload, but about how our carers are genuinely doing
- Consistent, predictable hours: because uncertainty is one of the biggest stressors in care work
- Ongoing professional training: including complex care because confidence in your skills protects your mental health
- An open culture: where it is genuinely okay to say "I am struggling" without fear of judgement
- London Living Wage employment: because financial security and mental wellbeing are closely connected
A Message for every parent carer
This week, we turned our attention to the families we support particularly parent carers and guardians who give so much of themselves every single day. The mental health of parent carers is one of the most underacknowledged challenges in the UK, and it sits close to the heart of everything we do.
What you do every single day is extraordinary. And it is also exhausting. You are allowed a break. You deserve one.
If you are a parent carer who is feeling overwhelmed this week, here are three small actions we would gently encourage you to take:
Taking action for your own mental health is not selfish. It makes you a better carer, it protects your wellbeing and it is something you deserve.
Care that supports the whole person
Special People provides regulated, person-centred home care services across London. Everything we deliver is underpinned by a commitment to dignity, respect, and emotional safety, because we know that mental wellbeing and physical care cannot be separated. All of our services are delivered by trained, compassionate carers and regulated by the Care Quality Commission (CQC). If you would like to find out more about how we can support you or someone you love, please get in touch, we would be genuinely glad to hear from you.
Join Us in making a difference
At Special People, we show up for our team, for the families we support, and for the wider London community we are proud to be part of. To everyone who engaged, shared, wore green with us, or took one small action for their own mental health this week, thank you. You are part of something bigger.
Get in touch with our team