Torment of mental health patients forced to quit the NHS
Number of people seeking private counselling soars
The number of Scots seeking private counselling sessions has soared as patients struggle to access long NHS waiting lists.
Figures show a 28 per cent rise in the past year alone, with Edinburgh recording the highest increase.
The most common reason for accessing a counsellor is depression.
One in 10 adults in the country are prescribed antidepressants and there is growing concern over mounting pressure on services.
Dr Linda Findlay, vice-chair of the Royal College of Psychiatrists in Scotland, said: “It is crucial to address the recruitment issues within the psychiatric workforce across Scotland. At the end of March this year, the vacancy rates in psychiatry were 10.4 per cent.”
The Scottish Government have committed to increasing funding for mental health to £ 35million in 2021-22 and providing 800 extra staff.
But Findlay warned that the money needs to be allocated appropriately through health boards. She said: “It is essential any extra
monies committed under the Mental Health Strategy are being spent appropriately by boards on mental health services.”
According to the figures, there were 349 bookings for counsellors in 2016, which has jumped to 447 so far for 2018.
Of the people surveyed, three- quarters said it was because of long NHS waiting lists.
Edinburgh has had an 11 per cent increase since 2016 while Glasgow has seen a six per cent rise, followed by Aberdeen with four per cent. Depression accounts for 37 per cent of bookings.
This is followed by relationship and marriage counselling at 24 per cent and bereavement counselling at 18 per cent.
Toni Giugliano, policy manager at the Mental Health Foundation, said psycholog ical therapies can be life- changing and people should be able to access them through the NHS.
He added: “Services are overwhelmed with more and more people coming forward but there’s more we can do to reduce waiting lists by providing e-mental health opportunities and social prescribing like volunteering, the arts and sport.”
Calum Irving, director of See Me, a charity tackling mental health stigma, said: “It can be very difficult for people to reach out for help due to the stigma around mental health.”
The latest research was conducted by Bark, an online marketplace which has 10,000 counsellors registered in the UK.
Kai Feller, Bark co-founder, said: “The fact there’s been a 28 per cent increase in demand for private counsellors in Scotland is proof of how serious the problem is. There are thousands of people in Scotland and the rest of the UK who need help and can’t afford to go private.”
The Scottish Government have committed to funding additional mental health workers in key settings including A& E, GP surgeries and every police station custody suite.
Minister for Mental Health Clare Haughey said: “Increasing public awareness and reducing stigma about mental ill-health, combined with the work we are doing to improve access to child and adolescent mental health services, has led to an increase in the number of young people coming forward for help.”