A Newcastle-based charity providing NHS mental health services around the country has seen increases in demand "across every single service" as the impact of the cost of living crisis on our minds becomes clear.
Everyturn Mental Health - the charity formerly-known as Mental Health Concern - holds a range of NHS contracts in the North East and beyond. Its team have highlighted how demand for its crisis services have rocketed 99% over 2022. Chief executive Adam Crampsie told ChronicleLive how it was a clear consequence of the ongoing cost of living crisis and high inflation.
Speaking during this year's Mental Health Awareness week, Adam said the issue was being exacerbated by squeezes on funding due to inflation, too. He said as a result organisations like his were being forced to think differently and invest in digital tools - including AI chatbots - to increase the people who can access support.
He added: "It's great we have awareness days and weeks but we need to be working to keep that focus across the whole year. Mental Health Awareness week is amazing, but it has to be about what we do for the other 51 weeks, too. Mental health is not a transient thing.
"What we are seeing is, across every single service, a marked increase in referrals. We have seen a 99% increase in our crisis service referrals - that's really concerning. There's a 28% increase in people seeking to access talking therapies, and the biggest challenge we've got is the cost-of-living. That's both in terms of its impact on individuals and because it means there's less funding available.
"But what that does do is it forces our hand as an organisation. We have had to invest hugely in digital services to help us see more people for the same financial cost. We are talking things like remote consultations, AI chatbots. Now 85 to 90% of people coming to our talking therapies come through via AI."
The 99% figure refers to people who were referred to the charity's Together in a Crisis support service during 2022. There were 3,313 referrals total in 2022, compared to 1,665 referrals in 2021. The reasons recorded for these referrals included "Mental Health" (42%), "Housing" (36%), "Financial issues" (33%), and "Suicidal Thoughts" (26%).
The shocking impact of the cost of living crisis on mental health is leading many people to experience serious mental ill health and to ask for support for the first time. Adam continued: "What we are seeing is that a lot of people who may never have suffered with mental health issues before. These are people who might be in a comfortable job and with a - previously - comfortable income, but as inflation has gone up they've found themselves in financial trouble.
"We are seeing a lot of people new to accessing mental health services. And we are also seeing far greater numbers of people who are in far more complex situations than they'd have been previously. With waiting lists across the NHS growing, particularly in mental health, we are also seeing the impact of that.
"Since the pandemic and certainly in the last 12 months as we have seen inflation and the cost of living crisis worsen we have seen a 99% increase in people accessing our crisis services. Those services sit alongside the NHS crisis teams. We hear harrowing stories of people despairing and trying to take their own lives and people who are slipping into more severe mental health difficulties."
This year, Mental Health Awareness Week has a focus on anxiety. Adam said this was especially important as support services like talking therapies could help people manage their anxiety better. Everyturn is hoping to encourage more people to get help, sooner.
Adam added: "Where anxiety becomes a problem is when it becomes unmanageable - where it can take over someone's life and it's just there all of the time, maybe when you're boiling the kettle or when you're trying to fall asleep. It can be debilitating and it's a progressive thing too - it gets worse.
"More often than not there's a cause, too. We've seen that 28% increase [in people accessing talking therapy] and one in three of those people cited work as a leading cause of their anxiety. That's where through things like CBT [cognitive behavioural therapy] our therapists help people to look at how they can manage that anxiety.
He added: "We all feel pressures at work, but our survey has found that it can impact our lives beyond our working hours. Our latest figures show that anxiety is on the rise, and we want people to feel supported in every aspect of their lives.
“Our services offer a range of talking therapies, and we have additional resources, guides, and support that can help anyone who is feeling anxious. It’s incredibly important that anyone who is struggling gets help as soon as possible."
Mental Health Awareness Week runs until May 21. To find out more about the services provided by Everyturn Mental Health or self-refer for mental health support, visit the charity's website here.
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