Mental health in the capital

It can be difficult to know where to find the correct kind of support required for a mental health problem. I have recently been helping a friend navigate the NHS and local Mental Health services.
The length of standard GP appointments didn't seem to afford the doctor sufficient time/inclination to take a detailed interest in the case.
A referral to a local mental health unit required completion of a lengthy online questionnaire, and a considerable wait-time before any call-back was received, and then a further long wait before an actual assessment appointment granted.
The response within this appointment was even more disappointing. My friend has long-standing mental health issues, and has unfortunately turned to "self-medicating" with drugs, but was essentially told, "we can start to treat you for your mental health problems once you have reduced your drug usage." This seems to me akin to saying "we'll treat your heart problems when you stop having heart attacks," as the drug use is effectively a symptom of the pre-existing mental health problems.
Even after that contact, there has been no proactive contact made by the mental health unit, and my friend remains in limbo without the necessary support.
From these and other experiences over recent months, it does appear that there is a critical lack of funding for mental health services within the capital. I have even been in contact with MIND and other mental health charities myself, in order to receive support so that I can know how best to get my friend the required help, but it appears that there is no easy way to get access to a mental health professional who has the time & resources to take ownership of individual cases.

Dear Talk London,

If you are genuine about finding solutions to Mental Health problems in London, why even mention "certain communities, such as those living in poverty and amongst minority groups"? Every one with mental health problems should count the same regardless of background, not just those you choose to highlight, so shame on you for showing bias. As "ajt5000" said a week ago; "regard people with equal respect", otherwise you fall into the trap of 'tick-box' solution finding which never provides anyone any real benefit (except perhaps a career boost for the one who thought up the tick-box idea in the first place).

If you want to address mental health issues, start with the appalling quality of housing stock in London; obviously some of it is wonderful, world-leading even, but too much of it is too small; it’s cramped and claustrophobic, there is limited or even no space for creativity so it is difficult for a person or whole families to self-actualise, and there is a lack of easily accessible safe, open spaces. There are lots of parks but if you have to walk a mile to get to one of them it’s not something you can let your child play in for 10 minutes as it takes 20 minutes just to get there. Every block of flats that gets built should have mandatory green space or recreational space allocated beside it because if you are living on any level above ground floor you can’t just open the door and let your child into a garden, at best they can run up and down a hallway as long as they don’t bother the other neighbours on the same floor. Therefore, stress builds up. And stress will happily feed on itself to make bad situations worse......

Because there is no longer any sense of community When I lived in Chelsea in the sixties everybody looked out for everybody else I moved to Dagenham in the nineties and no-one wants to know and I find it is the elderly that are the worst so being both elderly and disabled I feel quite isolated, I really rely on my laptop

I suffer from severe depression and have sectioned twice over the past 10 years. Unfortunately, I over react to situations/problems and things have been building up to the point I have started to feel suicidal. I last had contact with the area mental heath team 4 years ago, I tried to contact them only to find they no longer exist to to funding cuts and I was told to contact my local, 12 miles away, phyciactric hospital.
This I did only to be told as I was over 60, prescribed medication and not in the imediate are the earliest appointment was in 18 months time. so either have to pay for private treatment, which I can't afford on attempt suicide and get sectioned again, if they can find a bed within 100 miles. Don't say contact my gp because there is a different one each time I mange to get an appointment and the earliest one I can get is 4 weeks time. Perhaps us oldies, I'm 68, should have the option of a one way trip to Switzerland instead of collecting our pension. At least it would save the government and NHS one in the longrun

Commuting in the tube, worrying about being hit by buses/vehicles on the road while cycling where no cycling lanes exist or crossing at major junctions, these add to my anxiety. Also when I think about how much air pollution I am breathing in, that is not a comforting thought. The cost of affording clean, safe, appropriate accommodation in London hits anxiety hard for many residents, I would say.

I agree with all the comments posted so far. I'm lucky to be well enough to work but the workplace is often not a very supportive place. What could we do to make London more mentally healthy? More green spaces, less pollution, cleaner and quieter streets - make it a calmer and more peaceful place to be. Reduce poverty, reduce rents (bring back rent controls), build good quality social and affordable housing. Increase investment in NHS and community mental health services by several hundred percent. Hire and train staff who do actually care. Talk more about mental health and wellbeing and put services in place to support those who are under pressure through family and relationship breakdown, poverty, joblessness, work pressures, housing problems, health problems, ageing etc.
Get employers to do more to support their staff. Offer education and support in wellbeing and relationships for adults as well as children. All this costs money but the cost of not doing it is higher in terms of mental illness and social breakdown. We all need to protect our mental health. Friendship, care for others and a sense of community can go a long way to help.

I agree well being education would be helpful. Not only in education and ante natal settings but more generally in community groups, churches, workplaces and health centres etc. The trouble with psychiatric services and mental health diagnoses is that these never resolve with the real life issues that drive mental distress and lead to people not having the strength to recover. I think that with more understanding more people would find ways to recover from acute distress rather than developing chronic conditions.

Very glad to see this as a topic being discussed. I trained as a psychotherapist and have been working in the mental health space for the past 18 years. In my view the most helpful interventions would be wellbeing education as part of school curriculums, as well as guidance for parents. As mentioned in the comment stream, mental health can stem from material problems (housing, pollution, employment, physical healthcare), but many also form because of difficulties in childhood (abuse, trauma, addiction). Antenatal NCT classes place more emphasis on child birth than child rearing in my view - an element that could be usefully added to existing courses. A mindful parent can, I believe, help raise a more emotionally balanced child who may grow up to be a more resilient adult.

Speaking as a parent and carer of someone with mental health problems, and this is purely an observation through personal experience, I don't think it helps that mental health teams, in my experience are often served by 'locum' psychiatrists who don't stay for more than 6 months. From what I understand, pertaining to my son's case, this means a formal diagnoses is unlikely to happen as they (the psychiatrists) have to agree/confirm diagnoses over a 6 month period and we always end up back at square 1. Just wish they could spend some time living in my shoes at times.

Problem No1 - Civic Centers and they customer services did not referring individuals to mental health department they try to calm them down not helped.
The same about Job Center Plus who even did not asking why illiterate which apply to job which not adequate they literacy level.