THE need to deliver mental health therapy for children across Dorset has soared since the start of the pandemic, figures reveal. Data from NHS England show 49,360 mental health treatment sessions were delivered to under-18s by NHS services in the Dorset CCG area between April last year and January this year – 16.1 per cent more than in the same period 12 months before. It reflects the trend across England, where the number of sessions delivered increased by 16.1 per cent to around four million. This has prompted organisations such as the Royal College of Psychiatrists (RCP) to warn children and young people are at risk of lifelong mental illness due to the mental health crisis triggered by the pandemic.
Eco distress on the rise as psychiatrists see more patients with worries about the planet
The College declared a climate emergency, warning of a mental health catastrophe
6 May 2021 • 6:00am
A flooded street in Bewdley, Worcestershire in January. Experiences such as flooding can cause PTSD, psychiatrists said.
Credit: Jacob King /PA
The number of people visiting psychiatrists with concerns about the planet is on the rise, as the Royal College of Psychiatrists labels the phenomenon eco-distress .
In a new paper published today, the UK s professional body for psychiatrists warned that climate change is exacerbating existing mental health problems and leading to psychological distress and the onset of new episodes of mental illness .
Calls to declare a climate and ecological emergency
A climate and ecological emergency should be declared to avoid a health and mental health catastrophe , the Royal College of Psychiatrists has warned today.
New research from the professional organisation found more than four fifths of the UK public believe climate change will be as damaging to mental health as COVID-19 and unemployment in the next decade.
Three in five (60%) respondents say climate and ecological emergencies are affecting their mental health now.
The Royal College of Psychiatrists is calling for international cooperation and urgent action by declaring a climate and ecological emergency.
BBC News
By Johanna Carr
image copyrightHayley Pendall
image captionHayley Pendall said speaking to other mums in the same situation helped her believe in herself again
Two mums who suffered postnatal depression during lockdown have described how a virtual parenting group helped them regain their confidence.
Hayley Pendall, 31, and Kotty Farrell, 30, both from Plymstock, Plymouth, say the group made them realise what they were feeling was normal.
Ms Pendall says without it she would have had to take antidepressants. In a way you feel guilty because you were given that opportunity but I really needed it, she said.
Speaking ahead of World Maternal Mental Health Day on Wednesday, Ms Pendall said her youngest son was born by emergency c-section, meaning she could not drive afterwards.