Goldie Hawn discusses COVID's effect on children's mental health
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As it stands around 1.6 million people in the UK are waiting for treatment for mental health conditions while there are another eight million people who are unable to get on the waiting list.
Chief Executive of the NHS Confederation Matthew Taylor said: “We are moving towards a new phase of needing to ‘live with’ coronavirus but for a worrying number of people, the virus is leaving a growing legacy of poor mental health services that are not equipped to deal with adequately at present.”
The scale of the mental health pandemic that could hit the UK is one that is present across all age groups with projections predicting that up to 10 million people will need mental health treatment in the next three to five years.
Of this 10 million, 15 percent, or one and a half million, are children and young people, a group that have been hit particularly hard by the pandemic.
These predictions come just days after the government revealed its post-pandemic recovery plan for the NHS.
In light of the figures, Doctor Adrian James, president of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, now say that a similar plan should be developed for mental health.“We urgently need a fully funded mental health recovery plan…to ensure everyone with a mental illness can get the help they need when they need it.”
On youth mental health Doctor James said: “The situation is critical.”
Figures show in the past year there has been an increased demand by young people for mental health services, with a 72 percent increase in health disorders seen in the last twelve months.
Reports of a second pandemic come amidst a crucial time for the government’s Covid exit plan.
This week the last restrictions, including the legal requirement to self-isolate if an individual tests positive, are set to be removed.
Furthermore, free testing will also be removed, a move that has drawn a lot of criticism.
The fears are that with minimal testing and legal requirement to self-isolate removed, that Covid will spread across the population much faster, leading to the deaths of clinically vulnerable people, more stress on the NHS, and new variants.
Overall, the government is in a difficult position, balancing between learning to live with the virus, but not wanting it get out of control.
The policy decision, yet to be confirmed by the Cabinet, also arises just days after a report was released that said just a mild case of Covid can increase an individual’s risk of heart related conditions.
Due to how many of the UK’s population have had a case of mild-Covid this could mean that the NHS could see an influx of Covid-related heart conditions in the coming years; all whilst it tries to cut waiting lists and treat long-Covid patients.
The study, conducted in the United States, summarised “we show that risk and 12-month burden of incident cardiovascular disease are substantial”.
Adding: “The risks and burdens of cardiovascular disease were evident even among those who’s acute COVID-19 did not necessitate hospitalisation.”
Results showed that risk of heart disease went up regardless of race, sex, gender, ethnicity.
As a result, combined with the UK’s novel approach to the pandemic, this could mean a perfect storm is brewing post-pandemic.
For more information on matters concerning mental health and heart disease contact the NHS or your GP.
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