Mental health crisis in Northern Ireland cannot be overstated, say psychiatrists
A young Belfast woman who receives support from a specialist mental health team, has said she wouldn’t have been able to cope without its assistance.
Megan Finn (27) was on honeymoon in Spain in 2022, when she first became unwell. When she returned home, she was detained at Craigavon Hospital then sent to the acute mental health inpatient centre at City Hospital, Belfast. This is the first time Megan had ever had an episode of psychosis - which was induced by stress brought on by the pandemic, wedding planning, running a business and juggling being a busy mum to two young children.
Through treatment, Megan has now recovered and is about to start a new job as a peer support worker helping others in similar positions.
She currently receives help from the Early Intervention Service which helps people under 30 to maintain good mental health in the community.However, this service is not available around all areas of Northern Ireland.
Megan said: “It was a scary time for me and my family who had never experienced psychosis before. I’m now fully recovered, but the Early Intervention Team help to minimise any relapse. I am really lucky in that I honestly don’t know what I would have done without them. It’s a service really needed across Northern Ireland, and not just in Belfast.
“Without the support I received, I just wouldn’t have been able to cope so I don’t know how people manage who don’t have access to an early intervention team. These types of mental health services are really needed across Northern Ireland and especially for young people.”
Megan is sharing her experience as the Royal College of Psychiatrists (RCPsych) NI launched a new report, ‘Time to Bridge The Gaps’, looking at the significant gaps between the goals outlined in the 10-year Mental Health Strategy and the actual funding provided for its implementation.
Currently, allocated funds for mental health stands at £15.5m, which it said was a “far cry” from the £76.7 million required – and covering only 20.2 per cent of the necessary costs.
It added that NI also has the worst psychiatry vacancy rate in the UK and not enough psychiatrists are being trained due to lack of investment.
Now the College is calling on the Department of Health to make several interventions to address the mental health crisis, including reducing psychiatry vacancy levels and prioritising a recruitment campaign to attract and retain more doctors. As well as increasing training places available and making sure community and inpatient services, such as Early Intervention Teams, are fully staffed across NI - so no patient in crisis misses out.
Dr Julie Anderson, chair of RCPsych NI said: “Psychiatry in Northern Ireland is at crisis point and it’s clear there is a significant gap between the growing demand for services and the profession’s ability to meet that demand.
“With unprecedented demand on services we need immediate action to address the current shortfall in psychiatry staffing, however this will not be enough to provide a future-proofed service which is fit for purpose.
“Urgency is the key. That is why we’re looking for a long-term plan to be put in place now – before it’s too late.”