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Doctor warns of ‘mental health pandemic’ as desperate patients seek help

A doctor has warned that the country is in the grip of a ‘mental health pandemic’ leading to a surge in patients with symptoms such as depression and anxiety (Picture: Healthcare Workers’ Foundation)
A doctor has warned that the country is in the grip of a ‘mental health pandemic’ leading to a surge in patients with symptoms such as depression and anxiety (Picture: Healthcare Workers’ Foundation)

An NHS doctor has told of how a ‘mental health pandemic’ is leading to droves of patients seeking help during the lockdown.

Dr Chris George said ‘patient after patient’ was presenting with problems brought about by factors including job losses and relationship breakdowns.

The GP said that others are likely to be suffering in silence and more work needs to take place to reach out to people in despair.

He gave the snapshot of the situation on the ground to Metro.co.uk after charities raised concerns about the impact of the health crisis on people’s mental health.

Key indicators of distress, including loneliness and suicidality, have worsened during the pandemic, according to the Mental Health Foundation.

Dr George said: ‘On the ground there is a huge number of patients presenting with mental health problems, you could call it a pandemic in mental health problems.

‘It’s been like that since the beginning of the pandemic when the country went into lockdown in March.

‘There’s been a huge amount of mental health in clinic, in particular.

‘People who have had mental health problems in the past have found it has deteriorated.

‘For other people it is the first time they have had problems and they are mainly experiencing depression and anxiety.

‘I only see the proportion of people who come forward, there must be so many more people struggling by themselves and not knowing where to turn or how to seek help.’

Depressed young woman in a dark room
Rising levels of depression have been reported by charities as a result of the lockdowns (Picture: Getty/stock image)

Dr George, 33, who lives in London and works in Surrey, has been on the frontline as he attends calls at community settings including care homes.

His frontline duties also include working for the 111 service and he was a volunteer for the London Nightingale Hospital before it was stood down.

Outside of his professional brief, he acts as a spokesperson for the Healthcare Workers’ Foundation, which supports the bereaved families of NHS staff.

Dr George said: ‘it’s heart-breaking hearing the patients’ stories and you want to help as best you can. Some of the issues people face include the loss of their job and not having an income, stress on relationships with partners, marriage breakdowns and panic attacks.

‘People are having panic attacks at work and crying in the bathroom or crying on the way home after dropping the kids off at school.

‘That has only increased as the pandemic has gone on.’

Dr George, who has been a doctor for nine years, described the unprecedented pressures he and his colleagues are facing.

He said: ‘We are struggling in terms of getting people seen.

‘A lot of the referrals have been waiting for their surgery in hospitals because their appointments have been delayed.

‘It’s very difficult managing patients where, for example, you don’t know when they are going to have their knee or hip operation despite the condition having a debilitating effect and keeping them awake at night because of the pain.

‘It’s about trying to manage patients in the community but not necessarily knowing when the pandemic is going to end and when people will be able to return to having routine appointments and operations.

‘It’s been a huge challenge managing people at home and in the community.

‘It’s also been about managing the mental health pandemic in clinic. You’ll have an afternoon where it’s patient after patient with depression and anxiety.

‘Almost every consultation will have some kind of Covid scenario.’

A doctor has told of the ?huge impact? on overburdened NHS staff as they struggle on the frontline of the Covid-19 pandemic. Dr Chris George spoke of the struggle behind the scenes as the influx of patients threatens to overwhelm hospitals. He described how nurses are having to care for three patients at once and staff are taking traumatic scenes home with them. Dr George, who lives in London and works in Surrey, is supporting the Healthcare Workers? Foundation in its efforts to support staff. He said: ?On the ground what we are seeing is a lot of demand for hospital services. Within the NHS a lot of people are feeling completely exhausted and morale is at a bit of a low at the moment. ?Everyone is struggling, everyone is feeling the pressure. We have all taken up as much work as we can and it?s having a huge impact. ?The workforce is overstretched and in intensive care units there is normally one-on-one nursing and it is now one nurse for up to three patients. It?s incredibly stretched right now. ?Everyone?s trying to work as best they can and as GPs we are taking on extra shifts to help out with the vaccinations centres so we can vaccinate as many people as we can.? Dr George also said the second wave had taken a greater medical toll on his colleagues. He said: ?During the first wave I didn?t see that many of my colleagues become unwell but in the current wave it seems to have ripped through the frontline. I have many friends, colleagues and staff members who are off with Covid, who are sick, and some are extremely unwell. They are trying to battle the symptoms of Covid while being faced with an increasing workload.? Dr George also spoke about how NHS staff are being targeted by conspiracy theorists and others spreading misinformation about Covid. He said: ?There is abuse targeted at NHS staff from people who doubt whether Covid is real and say it is a hoax and the corridors in A&E are quiet. They target staff on public social media platforms and that is also quite demoralising to see.? The number of coronavirus patients in hospitals remains critically high as it rises towards 8,000 despite a dip in cases across London. Outside the capital, many other parts of the UK are also experiencing unprecedented pressures. However Dr George stressed the figures only tell half the story. ?We have just become so immune to the numbers of TV, They just look like another thousand deaths. But for every person, that?s someone loved one or family member. I think we?ve lost touch with that with the constant barrage of these numbers over the last nine or ten months.? Dr George added: ?The NHS staff are still doing an amazing job and I?m part of an amazing team, but we need people to follow the rules. I just want to remind people about things such as hand-washing, social distancing and the importance of following lockdown rules. It?s so important if we want to reduced numbers so we can open things up and start living like we did before.?
Dr Chris George has said ‘patient after patient’ is seeking help for mental health issues (Picture: Healthcare Workers’ Foundation)

Young people in particular have been affected by worsening levels of mental health during the lockdowns and localised Covid restrictions.

A survey by The Prince’s Trust published this month found the crisis has taken a ‘devastating toll’ on 16 to 25-year-olds.

One in four of those responding to the youth charity’s survey indicated they felt ‘unable to cope with life’ since the start of the pandemic.

Dr George said: ‘There definitely needs to be more prioritisation of mental health services.

‘The NHS budget needs to be higher if we are going to deal with this ever-growing pandemic and the huge amount of mental health problems that are coming out of it.

‘I do think rather than waiting for people to present themselves, especially for university students who are quarantined in their accommodation, there has to be a more pro-active approach to get people help.

‘In particular, there needs to be more funding for services for young people, who have been unfairly disadvantaged by the lockdown.’

The Government has said it is transforming mental health care backed by an extra £2.3billion a year through the NHS long-term plan.

Nadine Dorries, Minister for Mental Health, said: ‘I am acutely aware of how difficult this pandemic has been and I remain absolutely committed to supporting people’s wellbeing and mental health.

‘It is understandable people may feel anxious or low at the moment – Every Mind Matters offers a range of great, free resources including personalised mind plans. For those who continue to feel unwell or have pre-existing conditions, mental health services remain open and I urge anyone who is struggling to come forward for help – these services are here to support you.

‘I encourage people to speak to their GP or self-refer for NHS Talking Therapies, and for those in crisis, 24/7 crisis helplines have been set up in every trust in England.

‘Support is out there – do not suffer in silence.’

For help with mental health issues, click here

Do you have a story you would like to share? Contact josh.layton@metro.co.uk

For more stories like this, check our news page.



source https://metro.co.uk/2021/01/24/doctor-warns-of-growing-mental-health-pandemic-due-to-lockdowns-13936661/

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