Charities have criticised the government for failing to adequately tackle mental health within its public health white paper published last week.

The paper is aimed at tackling the causes of ill-health and reducing inequalities. But many feel its wider agenda has been overshadowed by the issues of smoking and healthy eating.

Chief executive of mental health charity Rethink Cliff Prior said the paper was a "missed opportunity" to end the scandal of hundreds of thousands of people with severe mental illness who faced an early grave because their physical health needs were ignored.

Richard Brook, chief executive of mental health charity Mind, said the government needed to recognise that improving the nation's mental health was an integral part of its aim.

His views were backed by Angela Greatley, chief executive of the Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health, who said that mental illness was not a choice and could not be prevented by promoting healthy lifestyles.

"Promoting mental well-being is about tackling the things that put people at risk of mental ill-health and taking action to offer fair chances in life to those with mental health problems," she said.

The Association of Directors of Social Services said that the white paper and the backing for a range of joined-up, community-based initiatives were a "welcome leap in the right direction".

ADSS president Tony Hunter said: "Many of the health secretary John Reid's priorities and emphases are focused very much on the families and communities that social care services are involved with on a day-to-day basis."

He singled out the Communities for Health proposals, which would bring statutory and voluntary organisations, businesses and individuals together in campaigns to improve public health, as "an encouraging development".

Reid announced the 88 most health-deprived areas in England this week that will be the first to pilot initiatives set out in the paper such as personal health trainers, smoking cessation services and school nurses.