WHAT do you really know about mental illness? Tomorrow you'll have a chance to find out when Worcester takes part in World Mental Health Day.

One in five people will experience a problem such as depression in their lives, but few people will know how to deal with it.

The result is that 19,000 young people are admitted to hospital every year due to deliberate self-harm, and suicide is the most common cause of death among young men under 35.

"People in Worcester need to be aware of the services available and work with us to fill gaps," said a spokesman for the Worcester branch of Mind, which helps mental health sufferers.

Worcester MP Michael Foster will lead a debate on what politicians can do to ease the problem in a city centre debate tomorrow.

It will take place at St Andrew's Church Hall, in Pump Street, between 10am and 3pm.

The event will also see the launch of the Worcester City Mental Health Services Directory, which will let sufferers know where to find help.

And there will also be details of the new Mental Health Awareness course at Worcester College of Technology.

More should be done to help mental health sufferers in the city, added the Mind spokesman.

"We want to reach out to people who are on the edge, recovering or who care for someone who experiences mental distress," he said.

"We want to offer them friendship, a warm welcome and opportunities to make some changes and gain a quality of life that they can sustain."

The city branch of the group holds its annual meeting on Saturday, from noon to 3pm, at Berkeley's Court, The Foregate.