More people are opening up about their mental health following campaign, Prince William told

The Duke of Cambridge visited Imperial’s Data Science Institute (DSI) to see the impact of Heads Together, a mental health initiative championed by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry. The duke also announced a £2 million investment fund to use technology to improve mental health.

Imperial’s Data Observatory was used to display the results of an analysis carried out by the DSI on 14,000 responses to YouGov surveys relating to mental health. The study found that from February to May 2017 – the period in which Heads Together was most active – there was a rise in the number of people talking about their mental health. The proportion of women talking about their mental health increased from 52% to 61%, and for men it increased from 45% to 60%, narrowing the gender gap. The change represents an increase in 1.2 million men speaking about their mental health.

There was also a more gradual increase in people talking about mental health in general, with a 3% rise over the same time period. Charities partnered with Heads Together all reported a rise in people contacting them. These data indicate a “significant change” in attitudes to mental health. Most respondents surveyed said they would talk to a friend or family member about their mental health and a quarter would consult their doctor. However few felt comfortable discussing their mental health at work. Heads Together will now specifically focus on the workplace, the military, and men, who make up 75% of suicides.

The duke said: “We were trying to understand why people weren’t sharing their problems. If we’ve made a big impression there, we can work on the wider societal aspects.” He added: “These individuals who have spoken have probably got a reasonably good support network. Are we missing a whole set of people who have had very bad experiences at young ages [or] bad mental health already?”

Imperial president Professor Alice Gast said: “It was an honour to welcome Prince William to Imperial and to collaborate with the Royal Foundation to produce this important evidence for the Heads Together campaign.

“Imperial excels at multidisciplinary research. Our mathematicians, computer scientists, data scientists, and public health experts identified and presented key trends using the forefront analysis and visualisation technology in our Data Science Institute’s Data Observatory,” she added.

Heads Together was founded in February last year, and has partnered with eight mental health charities, including Mind and CALM. The campaign has shown celebrities discussing their mental health, as well as a TV series following mentally ill people running the London Marathon. The Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry have both recently spoken of their mental health following the death of their mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, 20 years ago.