A leading mental health campaign group has given a stark
warning that the number of people needing support for mental health problems in
the UK after the pandemic could reach ten million.
In a report Cocid-19 and the nation’s mental health
[1] published this month The Centre for Mental Health predict
that demand for NHS mental health services will three times the capacity with
which they can cope within the next three to five years.
The report has been based on analysis of 200
high-quality academic studies from around the world by clinicians, researchers
and economists working for the NHS and the Centre for Mental Health.
The report identifies several key groups who are at a
greater risk of experiencing poor mental health due to the pandemic. These
include those who have been treated for Covid-19 in intensive care, the bereaved,
healthcare staff and people who have been impacted economically by the
pandemic.
In a statement on their website the Centre for Mental
Health welcome the investment made by the government in mental health services but
go onto say that it is ‘clear that
Government and the NHS must take action now to meet a very steep increase in
demand for mental health support. It is also vital to develop services to meet
the specific needs arising from the pandemic – for example, specialist
bereavement support and evidence-based help for those with trauma symptoms’.
Among the predictions made in the report, which
is the fourth in a series published by the charity are that 8068 adults who
have been treated for covid in intensive care may need mental health support;
40% of NHS critical care staff could suffer post-traumatic stress due to their
experiences over the past year and a half and that many of the people forced to
claim benefits when the economy closed down may suffer mental health problems.
In total the report suggests some 10,023,453, including
1.5 million children, may need support with their mental health over the next
three to five years.
Anyone who has tried to seek help for themselves
or a relative from NHS mental health services knows it can be a complicated and
sometimes confrontational business. This was true before the pandemic; in its
wake things could get much worse.
Huge backlogs caused by services being closed
as the NHS focussed on dealing with coronavirus cases will stretch services and
budgets to their limit. Even with the promise of extra money from government there
is a strong possibility mental health, always a Cinderella when it comes to
attention and funding, could still miss out.
That, as this report shows, could create a
devastating social and economic catastrophe. One that dwarfs the pandemic in its
long-term impact.
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