By Gavin Mackintosh-
Many mental health patients are at ‘high risk’ of taking their own lives are being placed in unsuitable intensive community services, according to experts.
Researchers at the National Confidential Inquiry on Suicide and Homicide, found crisis resolution home treatment teams have become the “default option” for seriously ill patients due to pressures on other acute services, particularly inpatient beds.
The report states that over 2,100 beds were closed between April 2011 and November 2014.
Furthermore, around 200 suicides a year involved patients under the care of crisis teams- three times as many in inpatient units. These findings are disturbing and show that the ideal mechanisms for catering for mentally ill patients are not being utilised.
Crisis teams are supposed to replace hospital admissions for mental health patients, by looking after them at home. Round the clock teams are said to improve overall safety, but the researchers warned that they were being “used for too many patients at high risk”. The further finding that 44% of those who died by suicide while under the care of crisis teams lived alone, was concluded by researchers to mean that home treatment “may not be suitable for people who lack other social supports”. A third died within a week of starting crisis team support, and 40% died within a fortnight of leaving the hospital.
SERIOUS
Mental health is a serious problem that can affect patients in various ways. A serious concern that some gang members on the streets are mentally ill patients who should be under care was recently expressed to the eye of media.com by two of our readers and is currently being investigated by some members of our team.
In the last couple of days, fallen world heavyweight champion, Tyson Fury, gave a disturbing interview to rolling stones magazine, revealing the extent of his mental health issues. The unbeaten champion said he hopes someone kills him before he kills himself, and went to extreme lengths to blame the rest of the world except himself, in a worrying sign of mental health illness. Mental health experts have told the eye of media.com that 1 in 4 people suffer from a form of mental illness- a disturbing statistics if it is to be taken literally. Yet, we live in a world where we deal with mentally ill individuals daily, without being aware of the extent of their illness.
Research by Community Care into crisis team provision found that funding for the services dropped 8.3% between April 2010 and April 2011. Referrals increased by an average of 18% over the same period.
When researchers at the national inquiry reviewed evidence on suicides over the last two decades, they found a changing pattern of risk factors for mental health patients with higher rates of isolation, substance misuse, and financial problems present in the lives of those who died by suicide. This suggests that isolation, in general, can lead to mental health issues, and be worsened by substance misuse. More clearly needs to be done in this area to address the serious issue of mental health, and address a problem that could impact society heavily.