The London School of Economics has just issued a report which has been damning of the state of mental health care in the United Kingdom. Researchers have shown that an estimated 75 percent of people who suffer from a form of mental illness in the country are not being treated.
The report is entitled ‘How Mental Illness Loses Out in the NHS’ and it also highlights how prevalent problems with mental health can be in the population. It estimates that for people below retirement age mental health problems are responsible for nearly 50 percent of all health concerns.
The report also attempts to show that even the most chronic physical diseases are not as disabling as some mental conditions. It highlights that mental health is something that seems to simply fall beneath the radar of the NHS with only a fraction of the total number of patients with conditions getting the treatment they need.
The report highlights that one of the main reasons there is this failure in the system is because commissioners are failing to listen to recommendations that are being made by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence.
The report importantly highlights the fact that it is not a cost issue and it states that better treatment of mental illness could actually be a cost neutral exercise. It highlights that there are many physical conditions which are caused by mental health, which go on to cost the NHS a great deal of money later on. It estimates that around £10 billion is spent on treating physical conditions that are the result of poor mental health.
It is estimated that mental health problems account for nearly 25 percent of all diseases in the country. This even includes when you take into account the fact these people are going to die earlier and so are less of a burden on the health care service in the long-term.
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