The NHS Vs The Forgotten Patients

Mental health was once a taboo subject, it was barely discussed never mind treated accordingly. Nowadays, it seems to be at the forefront of everyone's mind. Does this then mean that treatments have progressed alongside the social attitude towards it?

As with most medical emergencies – the answer is usually given in some form of pill, usually with eye-watering amounts of side effects tacked onto them with no guarantees of success. There is also therapy but waiting on the NHS means you could wait for anywhere up to a year for the waiting list to reduce.

Are we any closer to helping the more extreme cases? No.

Are we sending patients to therapy asking them to dig deep into their trauma, recall things they had buried, and then advising them they have no more sessions left, without giving them the tools to deal with what they've dragged up? Sadly, yes.

While I know the NHS has saved a lot of patients with poor mental health, I'm speaking of the people who are so severe, it seems the NHS eventually give up on and start to slowly pull away from them. What is put in place after all the anti-depressants and therapy sessions don't work?

While I've mentioned the NHS throughout, this all goes back to funding, or the lack thereof. The mental health side of the NHS has been drastically underfunded for years. Figures have been analyzed by the Royal College of Psychiatrists Show, which found that the NHS mental health departments received less in 2016/17 than they did in 2012. There has also been some concern as to how much of these funds are making it to the front line and patients.

All the while the government paints a picture of record levels of care for poor mental health. Sadly, this goes across the board of the UK. All countries' governments – after considering inflation – funded the NHS lower than in past years. Many papers published by NHS Doctors discussing mental health often loop back to how much more could be done with additional funding.

Thankfully due to the shift in attitude from a social standpoint towards mental health, a lot of non-profits and community support groups have stepped up. There is more of a discussion in schools, colleges, and workplaces, which can only bring some form of hope that the younger generations can seek help, with no shame before they get to the point of no return.

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