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According to a report, people with mental health problems wait so long for NHS care that they find themselves jobless, divorced or in financial distress.
An investigation by the Royal College of Psychiatrists on the experience of 500 diagnosed patients with mental illness revealed that some had waited until age 13 to get the treatment they needed.
"It's a scandal that patients wait so long for treatment," said Professor Wendy Burn, president of the college. "The inability to quickly provide people with mental illness the help they need ruins their lives."
The survey, conducted by Comres, also revealed that over a third (37%) of those who were waiting to be able to get help from a specialist saw their mental health deteriorate during this period.
"My husband and I almost separated. I was untraceable and I felt constantly suicidal, "said a 39-year-old woman from east of England.
A 38-year-old 38-year-old woman from Wales said, "I had a depression and it got so much worse that I lost my job and divorced myself." . As a result, I had a caution and financial problems. "
Of the three people whose mental health has deteriorated, 36% said they had relationship difficulties, 34% had problems at work, including the loss of their jobs, and 32% had difficulties. financial.
A quarter of 500 patients from across the UK waited more than three months to see an NHS mental health specialist. Six percent had waited at least a year.
The NHS in England is working to reduce wait times and increase access to mental health care for children and adults. The Care Quality Commission found last year that young people under 18 in England were waiting 18 months to get help.
As part of the next 10-year NHS plan, ministers reflected on the idea of setting wait time targets, similar to those for ensuring health, cancer treatment and planned operations, in the United States. deadlines, as part of the public health plan. The health service has already introduced maximum waiting times for the first episodes of psychosis.
However, NHS ministers and officials are aware that their ambitions are hampered by a severe understaffing in mental health services, particularly by a shortage of specialized nurses. A government commitment to ensure that children are seen within four weeks should only begin in a quarter of England by 2023 for this reason.
"Long wait times for mental health support can be costly and painful for people. From childhood to the end of life, having mental health support is essential when people need it, "said Sarah Hughes, Executive Director of the Center for Mental Health.
"The longer people wait, the more problems that can escalate into crisis, and the greater the impact of mental health issues on health, education, work, and relationships." The human cost is immeasurable, but we know that it has a lasting impact. "
Charlie, a 20-year-old Glasgow woman who did not want to be identified, struggled with autism, borderline personality disorder and complex PTSD for eight years before starting treatment. Although she started looking for help at the age of seven, she did not get help until she was 15, when she started hurting herself and having problems. suicidal thoughts. At one point, her anxiety became so intense that she was removed from school.
"I was suicidal but nobody would help me. I kept asking for help and I kept being pushed back. Either I was not sick enough to reach the service threshold, or the waiting list was too long, "she said.
An NHS England spokesperson said: "It should be noted that after decades of underinvestment, the NHS is scaling up its mental health services, including developing conversational therapies and improving treatment times. while the NHS long-term plan will set new priorities. for the coming years. "
It also stimulates other key areas of mental health care, such as A & E Liaison Psychiatry services and support for mothers with childbirth such as postnatal depression and psychosis. postpartum, with the aim of improving the delivery.
Case Study: "I did not receive help for my suicidal ideation"
Lee Rogers, who is 37 years old and lives in North Wales, said he had to wait 13 years after his first panic attack in 2005 before finally receiving treatment in August.
"I was working as a recycling officer on my local council in Wales when I had my first panic attack in 2005. One day, I felt very funny – panicked – and I had had to go home. It was horrible, terrifying. I could not breathe and I thought I was going to die. I had not had anything like this before.
When I saw my GP, he gave me antidepressants and beta blockers, but they did not work. He did not refer me to NHS mental health services. My employers sent me for private consultations, but it was only six sessions. At the time the NHS offered me advice, I was so traumatized by the therapy that I felt like I could not do it anymore. I was fired for six months and I ended up losing my job.
My mother, Julie, died in 2010. After that, I started drinking a lot, I committed suicide and tried to kill myself. I had no treatment at the time. They just unload me. The nurse asked me if I was fine and I answered "yes" because I did not want to stay. She gave me a phone number to call an NHS mental health service if I felt anxious or suicidal.
I saw a mental health nurse several times in early 2015, but it did not help me. I then tried to commit suicide again that year and I ended up being admitted to the hospital. They still have not offered me help for my anxiety and suicidal thoughts. I just thought, "What a hopeless hospital." I thought I should be helped and supported.
This year, I started having major panic attacks and more suicidal thoughts. Nothing seemed to work as far as treatment is concerned. I started seeing a mental health nurse, although it took six weeks for this to start, which I found too long, given how much I had become worse. I am also under different drugs now.
I have been sick for 13 years and have only been treated twice, until the beginning of the sessions with the nurse. The lack of treatment I had is not enough. It's disgusting, really. The NHS should do more to reduce the risk of suicide, but it only gives tablets and fobs.
Thirteen years after my first panic attack, I finally got the help I needed. It is not acceptable to wait so long for treatment. I would not have lost all those years of my life if my mental illness had been identified in the beginning and if they had listened to me more. "
As said to Denis Campbell
In the UK, Samaritans can be contacted at 116 123 or by email at [email protected]. In the United States, the national suicide prevention policy is 1-800-273-8255. In Australia, Lifeline emergency help is available at number 13 11 14. Other international suicide hotlines can be found at www.befrienders.org.
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