Mental Health

One in four people has a mental disorder at some point in their life, according to government figures. In a speech earlier this year, the Prime Minister, Theresa May, said mental health had been "dangerously disregarded" as secondary to physical health and changing that would go "right to the heart of our humanity". Among the calls from experts for more funding to improve services is the complex question of how, as a society, we have got to the point where half of mental health problems start by the age of 14. What are the best strategies for prevention as well as treatment of mental illness? Does someone's personal religious and spiritual beliefs have a role to play? Or does religion do more harm than good?

Ernie Rea explores religious perspectives on mental health with the Rev Will van der Hart, London vicar and a director the Mind and Soul Foundation, which explores Christianity and Mental Health; Professor Rasjid Skinner, consultant clinical psychologist and expert on Islamic approaches to psychology; and Dr Chetna Kang, consultant psychiatrist and a priest in the Hindu tradition of Bhakti Yoga.

Producer: Dan Tierney
Series producer: Amanda Hancox.