Most suffering mental illness not getting treatment, say experts

Three-quarters of people suffering from mental illness are not getting treatment, experts said yesterday.

A report concludes that the NHS is failing people suffering from mental illness.

The authors say the under-treatment of people suffering from mental illnesses is the most “glaring case of health inequality” in Britain. They say that mental illness now accounts for nearly half of all ill health – and it can be more debilitating than some chronic diseases – but only a quarter of sufferers are receiving treatment.

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Effective psychological therapies exist but are not widely available, the report by the Mental Health Policy Group from the London School of Economics (LSE) found.

Two-fifths of patients suffering from anxiety or depression can recover if they are treated by means such as cognitive behavioural therapy. The authors say that if such treatments were more widely available, it would cost the NHS little or nothing because it would produce savings in other healthcare areas.

Mental illness can manifest itself in physical symptoms and the group of experts estimate such symptoms cost the NHS at least £10bn. Much of this money would be better spent on psychological therapies, they claim.

“Despite the existence of cost-effective treatments it (mental illness) receives only 13 per cent of NHS expenditure,” they write.

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“The under-treatment of people with crippling mental illness is the most glaring cause of health inequality in our country.”

One third of families have a member who is suffering from a mental illness, they say. It accounts for nearly half of absenteeism at work and mental illness accounts for nearly half of people on incapacity benefits.

The authors, who include doctors, psychologists, NHS managers and economists, condemn local health commissioners for inappropriately using allocated mental health funding and say that in some areas mental health provisions are being cut.

The authors also recommend better training of GPs and suggest that recruitment into psychiatry should be increased. They also call for an “imperative” upgrade of specialist help to provide children with therapies, as there are 700,000 children with behavioural problems, anxiety or depression.

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Prof Lord Layard of the LSE Centre for Economic Performance said that mental health is so prevalent in society that it deserves its own Cabinet Minister.

He said: “If local NHS commissioners want to improve their budgets, they should all be expanding their provision of psychological therapy.

“It will save them so much on their physical healthcare budgets that the net cost will be little or nothing.”

The report concludes: “Mentally ill people are particularly vulnerable. They are often afraid to seek help or even say they are unwell, and so are their relatives. But they represent nearly one half of all health-related suffering in this country.

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“Within the NHS they represent the greatest areas of unmet need among adults and children.”

Mental health charities welcomed the report.

Sane chief executive Marjorie Wallace said: “While the Government has put money into psychological therapies, on the other hand resources are being drained from the fundamental care and treatment of people in crisis, those in need of in-patient care such as the suicidal, and those in the community where the cuts are depriving them of the few things that make their lives more tolerable, such as day centres, clubs, activities and occupation.

“We support Lord Layard’s call to action, before there are too many casualties and the services become too fragmented to help them.”

Sarah Brennan, chief executive of Young Minds, said: “The picture is even worse for children and young people’s mental health where for every pound spent by the NHS less than a penny is spent on Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services.”

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Care Services Minister Paul Burstow said: “The Coalition Government is investing £400m to make sure talking therapies are available to people of all ages who need them. This investment is already delivering remarkable results.”

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