Happy New Year?

The last 12 months have been unprecedented on so many scales but the challenges for health care have been intense and sustained. Whilst much of the news has focussed on emergency and critical care services, for obvious and very valid reasons, other areas of the health service have also had to adapt.

Mental health care is no exception. Services which have always relied on face to face meetings to build relationships with service users, were suddenly not allowed. Online psychotherapy existed before the pandemic but it was fringe and often controversial, it is now the norm. A recent report has found the number of mental health appointments and prescriptions actually decreased during the first lockdown. However, instead of this being good news, it is likely that this is an indication of people avoiding health care services and not seeking support as soon as they normally would.

This could be storing up more severe problems when people do finally get to services. Likewise we know isolation, anxiety, poor physical health and financial concerns will cause or worsen mental health problems. Many people, including those who never previously needed mental health services, have been hit by multiple stressors and a lack of control over their situation. 

Adaptations to mental health services may turn out to be exactly what was needed. Video calls, are for many, more accessible than travelling to a clinic and may be more acceptable from a stigma point of view. They may cut down on missed appointments. However, for some the need to build relationships and see people in person to reduce isolation will remain and must not be discounted.

Necessity is the mother of invention and 2020 necessitated us all learning to do things very differently. Some of this will continue to be necessary into the future. By embracing innovation and listening to the needs of both staff and service users mental health services can provide accessible services even in the most challenging of circumstances.

2021 may at least be a hopeful New Year.