Dear My System
Do I start with thank you? Thank you Mental Health Care system for failing me countless times so these failures could highlight the unmissable yet blissfully ignorantly ignored problems of our Mental Health Care system. And therefore make the changes that are headlining the news today.
I am not a victim of Mental Illness, I am a victim of the System
Or should I start with a statistic? 14 years!!!! 14 years is how long it was since any proper revaluation or review was carried out regarding Mental Illnesses in young people. During this time we have been dubbed ‘The Digital Generation’ for a reason. The world of social media has completely altered the lives of today, and this isn’t new. Facebook was launched in 2004, ironically 14 years ago. This created a domino effect of new online platforms emerging, with Instagram launching in 2010. ALMOST A DECADE AGO. Coincidentally prescriptions linked to Mental Illnesses have doubled in the last decade. It doesn’t take a scientist to recognise the pattern or link. So WHY has it taken so long?
16-24 year olds have the highest level of suicidal thoughts, or the most reported. Yet we still have an undeniably patchy and outdated care system for such illnesses. Particularly in schools, through no fault of the teachers as they have the system to blame also. How can you teach or help someone on a subject that could have affected you without you even being aware of it? Mental health Illnesses can be festering even before birth! This is due to the lack of perinatal support regarding mental health, which could effect your child’s development. Although this may have improved in recent years with the NHS reporting a growth in numbers of mothers seeking perinatal support. You can not forget that the support itself, is insufficient. Mental health support for the fathers should be made available. Considering that men are 3 times more likely to have thoughts of suicide than women. Yet a core value of the NHS ‘Commitment to Quality of Care.’
The department of Health’s values are not exempt from my questioning, ‘The Department of Health’s purpose is to help people live better for longer.’ Is living better having an average of a 12 month waiting time for mental health treatment? And just being expected to put it ‘on hold.’ The fact that there is such an agonisingly long waiting list for such serous life affecting illnesses is absolutely unacceptable. The argument of not having the facilities or services infuriates me. In recent statistics it shows that only 5% said mental health illnesses weren’t as serious or important as other illnesses. 95% say they are, it seems the public are able to grasp the seriousness, so why isn’t the Mental Health system reflecting that?
Dear Todays System
I think I should start with thank you. Thank you for seeming to learn from the failures you made with the care of others. I really hope these aren’t empty promises.
Today is Wednesday 10th October 2018, otherwise known as World Mental Health Awareness Day 2018. After MANY years of statistics being heard but not listened to, today I feel like that might have changed, or so it seems. The fact that 1 in 3 sickness notes handed out by Doctors are for mental health, appears to have been listened to. Today the Prime Minister announced that following an independent review of mental health in the work place finding that 300,000 people a year leave their jobs due to mental illness. The NHS England employees will now be guaranteed in house Mental Health Support, including an introduction of core and enhanced standards ensuring that employees will have the knowledge and tools to look after and understand their own mental health. This may not be paramount in all business’ yet but you have to start somewhere and I think introducing it to one of, if not, the biggest companies in England as a starting point, is pretty great.
Additionally Jackie Doyle -Price has been appointed the first ever Minister for Suicide Prevention. Proving to me and other System Victims that the seriousness of the rising statistics in suicide are being noticed. The Minister for Suicide Prevention announced the new campaign ‘Every mind Matters’ in which 1 million people will be trained on Mental Health Awareness and sent into schools. This doesn’t seem to be an empty promise and launched today in the West Midlands.
Something close to my heart I would like to thank you for is, starting 2019 the government will publish a ‘State of Nation Report’ annually on World Mental Health Day in which the trends and issues in young peoples mental health will be addressed, this will be the first time children’s mental health is be reported this way. There will be nowhere to hide, the whole of society can see the figures so they will have no choice but to act upon them.
We still have a long way to go, and I will believe these promises when I see them. But for now, thank you for acknowledging these issues and I hope you prove it not to be too little too late.
-Ashlee
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