Background: There is increasing international interest in the concept of mental well-being and its contribution to all aspects of human life. Demand for instruments to monitor mental well-being at a population level and evaluate mental health promotion initiatives is growing. This article describes the development and validation of a new scale, comprised only of positively worded items relating to different aspects of positive mental health: the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale (WEMWBS).

BackgroundPromoting the social inclusion of mental health service users is a UK policy priority, but the development of outcome measures in this area is at an early stage Aim To develop a social inclusion measure for use in a study assessing the outcomes of arts participation for people with mental health needs. Method Concept and question development based on literature review, national and European surveys and results of a survey of arts and mental health projects. Measure piloted with 23 arts participants/service user researchers and field tested with 88 arts project participants returning questionnaires including the social inclusion measure, a measure of empowerment and the CORE mental health measure. Results Three scales were constructed measuring social acceptance, social isolation and social relations. Internal consistency was good for the individual scales and for the measure as a whole. Correlations with empowerment and CORE scores indicate reasonable predictive power for the population. ConclusionsTests to date indicate the measure is acceptable and measures relevant concepts with good internal consistency. Test-retest reliability and construct validity are not established and replication is required to confirm internal consistency and establish a normative profile for the population.

This paper draws on a qualitative study that was undertaken as part of a national research study to assess the impact of participatory arts provision for people with mental health needs. It explores how arts and mental health projects may facilitate some of the key elements of what has been termed a ‘recovery approach’ in mental health. It is argued that it is precisely these elements – the fostering of hope, creating a sense of meaning and purpose, developing new coping mechanisms and rebuilding identities – which are hard to standardize and measure, yet may be the most profound and significant outcomes of participation in such projects. Therefore, in the context of a growing emphasis on recovery‐orientated mental health services, while not necessarily being appropriate for all service users, arts and mental health initiatives could make an essential contribution to the future of mental health and social care provision.

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An analysis of media content in April 1993 found that two-thirds of items dealing with mental health issues forged a link between mental illness and violence. Using some of this material, the impact on the beliefs of an audience sample was explored. Six general groups and one user group took part in the study. Two-fifths of the general sample believed mental illness to be associated with violence and gave the media as their source. While some respondents with personal knowledge of mental illness, including the user group, rejected the dominant media message, others accepted it against the evidence of their own eyes. The findings indicate the importance of working with the media to destigmatise mental health problems.