For a long time, the NHS in Britain has neglected their patients’ mental health. The service focuses on physical illnesses and has little by way of support for people with mental problems. Now, the Norfolk and Suffolk branch of the mental health trust will have to take new measures to ensure that it gives adequate help. According to a new report, the trust was offering patients a low standard of care and attention. This fact is unsurprising. In fact, health services across the UK fail to help their patients suffering from mental issues.
What mental health issues affect people?
Two in five people suffer from a mental illness. The most common ailment is depression, which affects many people in the country. Often, people don’t even know that they are suffering from depression. Tiredness, low moods and confusion can all be symptoms of the problem. One of the other issues, which many people suffer from, is anxiety. Anxiety and depression often come together as one problem causes the other. If you believe that you have either of these illnesses, you should try to talk to a doctor as soon as possible. The sooner you get help for your mental issues, the sooner you will recover, in the long run.
Where can you turn for help?
So, who can you ask for help? Well, of course, you can talk to your local GP about your issues. One of the problems, at the moment, is that the NHS don’t have enough staff to cope with the growing number of sufferers. That means that you will likely have to join a waiting list. People sometimes have to wait a matter of months before a mental health professional can see them. If you can afford it, private health care will be much faster than going through the national health service.
What if you need time off work?
Sometimes, people need time away from their workplace when they suffer from an illness. People tend to think that they don’t need time off when their problem is mental. In fact, you need time to recover or your issues will get worse than they are now. If you lose earnings, you should enlist the help of a personal injury attorney. He or she will help you to file a claim against your employer if they don’t give you adequate sick pay. You will likely need to have doctor’s records to back up your claim if you plan to take the case to a tribunal.
What treatments are available?
What confuses many people is what treatments they can get for their mental illnesses. How do you treat something that you can’t see? Much of the time, doctors suggest that you get cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for your problem. That means that you will see a therapist every month, who will try to help change the way your mind works. Over time, you should learn coping mechanisms, which will help you to recover. There is also a range of medicines and tablets you could take. You should avoid heavy medication, though, as you could start to rely on it.
What can you do for yourself?
Part of the problem, with mental illness, is that the patient needs to want help. If you don’t want to change, you will struggle to get better. One of the best things, which you can do to help yourself, is admit that you have a problem. Once you do that, you will feel like a burden has lifted from your shoulders. You should also ensure that you have an excellent level of social support. You need to talk to your friends and family about your issues so that they can help you out.
