Millions of people in the UK face a “second pandemic” of mental health problems | Mental Health

Millions of patients in the UK have dangerously long mental health care unless the minister urgently develops a recovery plan to tackle the “second pandemic” of depression, anxiety, mental illness and eating disorders. Faced with waiting. NHS Leaders and doctors warned.

The Covid crisis has caused a dramatic increase in the number of people experiencing mental health problems. Support, the head of the NHS Federation, the Royal College of Psychiatrists, told the Guardian, although 1.6 million people are waiting for specialty treatment and another 8 million are not on the waiting list.

In some parts of the country, professional mental health services are overwhelmed, and even the most serious cases of patients at risk of suicide, self-harm, and hunger “bounce” to the GP who introduced them, doctors. Is urging a warning from. As a result, the patient will probably die.

Health Minister Sajid Javid, who acknowledged that the level of depression across the country has nearly doubled since the pandemic began, said a “comprehensive plan” to meet the growing demand for mental health care in the UK. We are facing pressure to quickly formulate.

Following the announcement of the long-awaited NHS selective recovery plan this month, the call finally set out how to deal with the untreated portion of those in need of planned surgical procedures.

“We are moving to a new stage where we need to’live’with the coronavirus, but for many who are worried, the virus is currently not equipped to properly address the mentality of the service. We have a legacy of poor health, “said Matthew, Taylor, chief of the NHS Confederation, which represents the entire UK healthcare system.

“It is predicted that 10 million people in the UK, including 1.5 million children and teens, will need new or additional support for mental health over the next three to five years, according to health leaders. It’s no wonder we call it the second pandemic. A national crisis of this magnitude is a continuous, targeted government, as we saw in the backlog of selective care. Deserves attention. “

As part of its recovery plan, the NHS Federation is calling for the expansion of NHS real estate for professional mental health care and key recruitment activities. One tenth of the consultant’s psychiatrist’s post is unfilled.

Dr. Adrian James, President of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, said: They need it.

“Millions of children, adolescents and adults are seeking help from overkill and underfunded mental health services. The situation is critical. The government can no longer afford to neglect to restore mental health. “

Health leaders also believe that an important element of recovery planning should focus on providing early support to children and adolescents with mental health problems. Since the beginning of the pandemic, children and teens seeking emergency assistance with eating disorders have increased by 72%, and children under the age of 18 and emergency referrals to critical care have increased by 52%.

“The impact of pandemics on youth mental health cannot be exaggerated,” said Olly Parker, Foreign Minister of Charity Young Minds.

Dr. David Turner, a family doctor in Hertfordshire, said he was very worried about the situation as he chose to speak publicly for the first time in his 25-year career. “I and many other GPs feel this problem is serious and it’s only a matter of time before my child dies.” He talked to the guardian..

Turner said access to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) It wasn’t “great before Covid,” but now it’s “horrifying.” He added that the double pain of a surge in demand for CAMHS and a lack of investment put patients at risk.

One of the particularly “dangerous” new trends, according to Turner, was that CAMHS “rebounded” to GPs who referred patients with severe mental illness to specialized treatment. This means that the GP relies on weekly weight checks and blood tests, as well as monitoring of critical organs in patients with anorexia nervosa who are at risk of self-harm, suicide and starvation. .. “There is no special training in this area of ​​expertise,” he said.

Dr. Phil Moore, GP and Chairman of the NHS Confederation’s Mental Health, Learning Disabilities, and Autism Systems Group, said the increased backlog of care could “worse patients to the point of crisis.” He said he was concerned. “No clinician wants to see this happen,” he added. “This was a problem before Covid, but now things are getting worse.”

The Ministry of Health is asked to comment.