The UK has the widest gap between rich and poor in Europe – I find that criminal in itself for a whole raft of reasons – I won’t go into that now. However the World Health Organisation’s report Mental health, resilience and inequalities by Dr Lynne Friedli adds mental health to my list of reasons.

The report’s author, Lynne Friedli, warns that governments need to sit up and take notice, and that policy-makers need to “face up to the fact” that marked improvements in mental health and wellbeing will depend on first tackling the gap between rich and poor.

The report, carried out by the WHO for the Mental Health Foundation, looked at recent research across a range of disciplines. It argues that only radical and broad policy changes will counter directly the trend of growing inequality. It goes so far as to say that the social and economic prosperity of Europe will depend on improving mental health and wellbeing.

“There is overwhelming evidence that inequality is a key cause of stress, and also exacerbates the stress of coping with material deprivation,” the report says.

“The adverse impact of stress is greater in societies where greater inequality exists and where some people feel worse off than others. We will have to face up to the fact that individual and collective mental health and wellbeing will depend on reducing the gap between rich and poor.” Mary O’Hara, The Guardian.

Download report from Mental Health Foundation.