People in mental health crisis neglected by NHS, MPs warn

Full story in The Guardian, 16 October 2018

Growing numbers of people who experience a mental health crisis are having to visit A&E or are detained for their own safety because NHS services to help them are deteriorating, MPs and peers have warned.

The 700,000 people in England with severe mental health problems such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder also face increased delays to get treatment, they said.

“Those who are the sickest often wait the longest to get help,” said a report published on Tuesday by the all-party parliamentary group (APPG) on mental health. Delays make people feel they are “hopeless, and like nothing can help”, it said.