Suicide calls soar during lockdown
Services are overflowing, say experts, as millions are left battling the stress, fear and isolation of lockdown
Numbers seeking help because of suicidal thoughts have tripled since lockdown, while ambulance services have seen cases rise by almost two thirds, figures show. The Royal College of Psychiatrists said mental health services were “overflowing”. The charity Rethink Mental Illness said too many people were being left to struggle alone, while London Ambulance Service crews are attending 37 suicides and attempted suicides a day, compared with 22 this time last year.
THE number of people seeking help because of suicidal thoughts has tripled since lockdown, with ambulance services seeing cases rise by almost two thirds, an investigation has found.
The Royal College of Psychiatrists said mental health services were “overflowing” with patients, with growing numbers struggling to cope with anxiety, psychosis and depression.
Experts said millions of people were battling isolation, fear and post-traumatic stress, with many only seeking help when their crisis became acute.
London Ambulance Service has seen a 68 per cent rise in suicides and attempted suicides, with crews now attending 37 cases a day, compared with 22 this time last year.
An RCP survey of almost 700 psychiatrists revealed six in 10 were dealing with more emergency cases, including those who need to be sectioned.
One doctor said he was recently unable to secure a specialist bed for a 17-year-old boy suffering from psychosis anywhere in the UK.
The number of referrals for talking therapies fell by more than a quarter between April and July, with some patients keeping away, while others struggled to access care.
Since then, numbers have recovered to pre-lockdown levels, but experts say they are continuing to rise, leaving services struggling to cope.
Charities say Britain is facing a “second pandemic” of mental health probl ems, with £ 200 million urgently needed to avert a growing crisis.
Mental health charities have written to Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister, calling for a cash injection.
The charity Mind said action was needed to protect mental health beds in hospitals during the second wave, with NHS statistics suggesting that around 2,000 beds were commandeered by other services in the spring.
NHS figures show record numbers of urgent and emergency referrals in July, with 2,276 more than this time last year. There was also a 19 per cent increase in people detained for mental health treatment who were admitted to acute beds.
Paul Farmer, chief executive of Mind, said: “This is a critical moment for the Government to act to prevent a second, mental health pandemic. It has to invest in mental health services in the community right now.”
Rethink Mental Illness said too many were being left to struggle alone.
Its research showed the numbers turning to its website for advice doubled in the six months since March’s lockdown, with 1.69 million visits since then, compared with 829,645 in the previous six months.
The number seeking help because of suicidal thoughts went from 80,298 to 232,271; for anxiety disorders from 73,456 to 210,931; and for self-harm from 16,920 to 56,418.
Lucy Schonegevel, the charity’s deputy campaigns director, said: “We are worried that growing numbers of people severely affected by mental illness are now getting to crisis point before they receive the support and treatment they need.”
Dr Agnes Ayton, a consultant in eating disorders, from Oxford, said services have seen referrals rise by around 30 per cent since lockdown, with rising levels of anxiety fuelling illnesses such as anorexia and bulimia.
“Eating disorders are one of the dangerous mental disorders, we cannot afford to leave these patients to wait.
“We are having to send patients from Oxford to Glasgow for treatment; this was happening before the pandemic but we are now doing this in increasing numbers,” said Dr Ayton, who chairs the college’s eating disorders faculty.
Dr Adrian James, president of the college, said the system was running “way too hot” with patients travelling hundreds of miles for care.
“We have been running at full pelt,” he said. “Our services before Covid were already stretched. All the indications are that there is going to be a big surge – we refer to it as a tsunami – of mental illness as a result of the pandemic.”
While some patients with existing problems became more paranoid, others who contracted Covid-19 were left suffering from post-traumatic stress and anxiety. Others were left suffering through isolation, with others bereaved in traumatic circumstances, he said.
Childline said it received nearly 43,000 calls from young people reaching out for help with their mental health
‘We have underestimated the impact of this on a whole generation of children; some effects may last a lifetime’
since March. The NSPCC, which runs the helpline, said children were feeling isolated and insecure after being cut off from important support networks.
NHS data show a 50 per cent rise in the number of children suffering from problems such as anxiety and depression. Dr Ben Shooter, a consultant psychiatrist in Powys, said: “I think we’ve vastly underestimated the impact of this on a whole generation of children; some of these effects may last a lifetime.”
The survey of 689 psychiatrists found 58 per cent reported an increase in emergency cases, when this September was compared with last.
An NHS spokesman said: “This pandemic has turned lives upside down and put a greater strain on people’s mental health. The NHS has remained open throughout and referrals are actually rebounding to pre-covid levels – with mental health services available, including video consultations, online support, face-to-face appointments and the rapid establishment of all-age 24/7 crisis service hotlines, while self-help websites can also aid those people going through a tough time.”