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At Schoen Clinic, we believe in keeping abreast with recent developments in mental health. Find out more about the latest trends and developments in mental health in the UK.
Mental Health in the UK
The National Health Service (NHS) received 364,691 new referrals and attended 2.03 million care contacts in April 2021 alone. The NHS Monthly Statistics Performance for April and (provisional) May 2021 also revealed that 1.41 million people contacted mental health services between the beginning of February and the end of April.
Figures from the Office for National Statistics echoed the seriousness of pandemic-linked depression as a recent development in mental health in the UK.
21% of adults said they experienced depression between the end of January and the first week of March. The figure was an increase on November 2020’s 19% of adults, and the 10% of adults who experienced depression before the pandemic.
ONS also revealed that 43% of women between 16 and 29 years old were more likely to experience depression, compared to 26% of men in the same age group.
Positive Government Response
The government has been keenly aware of the dire need for greater mental health awareness and support across the UK. In March, the Department of Health and Social Care announced the £500 million Mental Health Recovery Action Plan.
The plan aims to expand services for people with difficulties such as anxiety, depression, bipolar, and schizophrenia. It places a special emphasis on the groups most impacted, including frontline staff, people with serious mental health illnesses and young people.
£38 million was allocated for the expansion of NHS IAPT services (talking therapies) that offer treatment for anxiety, depression, PTSD, and other conditions. £58 million was allocated for the improvement of access to therapies, trauma-informed personalised care, self-harm support, and other services.
Exciting Research
Last year, the Brain & Behaviour Research Foundation, one of the US’s largest mental health research grant funders, listed exciting research achievements from 2019. The foundation said that recent developments in mental health research were significant, as they will impact diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of conditions that affect millions of people globally.
Other research, such as Large Genome Study Suggests Anorexia Nervosa is a Metabolic Disorder as Well as a Psychiatric One by Cynthia Bulik, Ph.D., offers greater insights into some mental health difficulties.
Technology for Mental Health
Among the new technologies that support mental health care are smartphone apps that can help people who struggle with alcoholism and addiction. Apps that can help people cope with the symptoms of depression or anxiety, and provide therapists and other experts with valuable data, are another mobile-related innovation.
The increase in internet-based support groups that provide a comfortable digital space for people who want to remain anonymous is yet another example.
The recent developments in mental health outlined above are by no means exhaustive - the advances in research, therapies, technologies, and other areas in mental health offer great encouragement and hope for the future.
At Schoen Clinic Chelsea, we are one of the few services in the UK that have started offering genetic testing from a simple cheek swab to help guide medication choice. This assists in predicting which antidepressants people with depression are most likely to respond well to and also which may cause problematic side effects. This allows us to offer a truly bespoke 'personalised medicine' approach to treating depression.
We specialise in adult mental health conditions at Schoen Clinic Chelsea, based in a discreet location in the heart of Chelsea, London.
Contact us to find out more, call our friendly and caring team on 0203 146 2300 or email che-privateenquiries@schoen-clinic.co.uk
Find out more about our mental health treatment programme for adults today.
This article was kindly reviewed by Dr James Woolley, Consultant Psychiatrist at Schoen Clinic Chelsea.