Podcasts Government OECD Ruby Wax says there's nothing funny about mental illness

Ruby Wax says there's nothing funny about mental illness

Published: May 1, 2019, midnight

Mental illness comes with a big pricetag. The OECD estimates the total cost of mental disorders in the EU to be more than 4% of GDP--over \u20ac600 billion. But no price can be put on the cost of mental illness for the person suffering from it. \u201cIt\u2019s okay to not be okay,\u201d is comedian and mental health activist Ruby Wax\u2019s message. To the one in four people in the world who suffer from mental disorders at some time in their life (World Health Organization, 2018), these are words from someone who understands, and the first step to coping with the disease. Ruby Wax was awarded an OBE in 2015 for her services to mental health and holds a Master\u2019s degree in Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy at University of Oxford. She is the president of Relate, a charity that\u2019s pushing for more government financial support for relationship counselling. Ruby is also the author of Sane New World: Taming the Mind and How to be Human. \n\nHost: Clara Young \nProducer: Robin Allison Davis\n\nGet the latest OECD content delivered directly to your inbox! Subscribe to our newsletters:\xa0www.oecd.org/newsletters\nFollow us on social media:\xa0www.oecd.org/social-media