Nick Clegg nearly caused me to fall off my chair in shock at this years Liberal Democrats party conference when he made the issues facing mental health care at the heart of his speech. Clegg pledged funds to improve mental health care in this country and acknowledged that is it a wider problem than most are willing to accept.
This was a welcome surprise acknowledgement about a real problem facing the UK. Mental health has received wider coverage this year for a multitude of reasons yet no other political party has addressed it. The fact that one has finally taken on-board that it is no longer a marginal issue but one that effects 1 in 4 of the UK population is refreshing.
Clegg stated in his speech that he wanted to start a national debate on the issue to remove the stigma that is still often attached to it. His aim is for people to talk as openly about mental health issues as they would about physical health.
In my own personal experience, people of my generation (I’m 25) are already at this stage. I have many friends and family who have suffered from mental health problems and who are happy to talk about it, especially if they meet someone who is going through the same thing they were. There is still an element of it being ‘unmanly’ when it comes to men asking for help with their mental health and this must be addressed but on the whole I find people more accepting of mental health these days.
Where I do see stigma or judgement is within official institutions and this is where Clegg must focus his efforts. Mental health sufferers receive less in benefits than those who are physically disabled, employers do not always understand how to assist their employees back in to work and are still at times met with disbelief by doctors. This is unacceptable. Until mental health is treated the same way as someone reporting a physical pain it will continue to make the sufferer reluctant to seek help.
Mental health costs roughly £100billion a year through lost working days, benefits and treating preventable diseases. If effective treatment and support were in place, it would improve this dramatically and help the government decrease the benefit bill, a goal every party wants to achieve. The planned spending of £120 million over 2 years to cut down on waiting times for treatment is a perfect start. At the moment a referral from your GP to a specialist carries an uncertain waiting period where the issues are left untreated and, for many, unmanageable. Clegg aims to have first time psychosis sufferers seen within two weeks, depression sufferers within 6 weeks and 95% of all other cases seen within 18 weeks. To some this may still seem to long but it is a massive improvement on the current system.
These improved timescales could also mean that doctors may be more likely to refer people to therapy rather than just relying on medication, as this is not the best option for everyone. For others a combination of medication and talking therapy can help to confront the reasons behind the disease while providing the support they need to continue with everyday life until they can cope without medication.
This is an important issue that is effecting more and more people everyday so it is refreshing to see Clegg speak up and pledge support, it’s just a shame it is only one party making these kinds of speeches and not all of them .
Thoughts of a Millennial 