Psychiatry is just not working

Wes Streeting was right to call out Mental Health Trusts, according to one NfN mole who points out that 51,312 people were newly detained under the Mental Health Act in England in 2022–2023.

Some 3,000 people were readmitted to a mental health facility within a week of leaving; some 5,000 within a month. Thus about 6% are readmitted within a week and 10% within a month. Research studies reveal that readmissions rise to 20% at six months and nearly 90% at 7 years.

So, what’s going on? [a] Is implementation of discharge policy lax? [b] Is post-discharge support inadequate? [c] Is psychiatric treatment ineffective? The 90% re-admissions figure points to treatment being ineffective. The 6%, 10% and 20% figures are consistent with that.

The appalling low funding of post-discharge support (e.g. psychotherapy) has to be mentioned. The funding of psychology for prevention is even worse. Ineffective treatment of mental ill-health surely means that our whole approach to mental health needs re-thinking.

And we had better think fast. The Covid pandemic has led to a mental health epidemic. A national poll showed alarming increases among US teens post-Covid in anxiety and depression, as well as other problems. 

Anxiety and depression jumped to 36% and 31% for girls and to 19% and 18% for boys. This knocks out theories of “chemical imbalances in the brain” and of inheritance as causative.

We need legislation like the Mental Health Act to protect lives due to a person’s extreme level of distress. But we also need a Mental Wellness Act that deals with the underlying causes of mental ill-health in the first place and seeks to prevent progression to extreme distress. Prevention is better than cure – especially when the cure is so often ineffective. 

Sources:  FOI request by Dr Rosena Allin-Khan MP    https://www.bps.org.uk/news/dcp-response-new-figures-readmission-mental-health-facilities 

and https://mottpoll.org/reports/how-pandemic-has-impacted-teen-mental-health.

Healthy living

Over 600,000 invited adults missed out on a NHS Health Check in Q2 2024/25 as uptake dropped. Just over a third (36%) of those offered an NHS check went on to attend an appointment, and about 626,000 failed to take up an NHS check in the last quarter – a record total. 

Analysis of the latest data released by the Department for Health Improvement and Disparities from independent consultancy Broadstone, finds a growing gap between the number of people invited to attend an NHS check, and the number of people actually taking up the offer. In the latest quarter (2024/25 Q2), the NHS offered an all-time high 973,846 health checks to those aged 40-74 to step up its preventative health programme. Just 347,837 – or 36% – went on to take up the invite. NHS Health Checks should be offered by a GP or local council every 5 years to those aged 40-74 with no pre-existing health conditions. 

Sources:  Office for Health Improvement & Disparities, NHS Health Checks: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/nhs-health-check-quarterly-statistics-july-to-september-2024-offers-and-uptake and broadstone@templebaradvisory.com

The myth of massive private sector growth

Further research from Broadstone shows that treatments funded through Private Medical Insurance (PMI) recovered following a COVID-19 blip. Self-pay rebounded following COVID-19 as patients dipped into pandemic savings to fund access to treatment. NHS waiting lists continue to grow even though private treatment has plateaued.

Souces – PHIN, Private Market Update: December 2024: https://www.phin.org.uk/news/phin-private-market-update-december-2024

Read more News from Nowhere and articles on the NHS in ERA 3