Rising unemployment and economic uncertainty has caused an increase in helpline calls to a leading UK mental health charity, which is struggling to cope with the huge demand.
Since the start of the recession, enquiries to mental health charity Mind’s Infoline and legal advice service have doubled. In 2011-2012 advisers dealt with 40,000 phone calls and e-mail enquiries about where to seek mental health care, advice about medications, and the rights of patients in psychiatric hospitals. Yet the helplines are too stretched to handle the volume of calls, with 40 per cent going unanswered.
Paul Farmer, chief executive of Mind, is concerned that sufficient resources are lacking to deal with every cry for help. “The era of austerity shows little sign of abating and more and more people need our help. At the same time the local Mind network is facing the challenging situation of increased demand for services and potential cuts to funding,” he said in a statement.
Highlighting the problem during Mental Health Awareness week, Farmer said that the weekday Infoline, which is funded by donations, needs an additional adviser to meet the growing demand from the public. “We urge people to support Mind in any way they can,” he said.
Many users of the Infoline find the service invaluable. One anonymous caller said in an e-mail: “Thank you so much for your help, you are an absolute angel. I knew you would be able to point me in the right direction because I called last year when I was experiencing depression and feeling suicidal and you really helped me.”
Service user Sandra said after being treated for cancer and depression, “I believe the help and support I received from Tyneside Mind played a major part in my recovery.”
