We need action, not mental health ‘awareness’

Robert Jenkinson, aged 28, had mental health and substance misuse problems. On August 30^th last year, he saw his care co-ordinator (the mental health nurse or social worker who managed his mental health care) and, later, called the out-of-hours mental health team, often referred to as the ‘crisis team’. According to the Sheffield Star, reporting on Jenkinson’s inquest, Robert spoke to a mental health nurse on the out-of-hours team, who told him to call back later and leave a message. Neither professional thought he was in danger.

Half an hour later, he died in front of a train.

Robert Jenkinson had received significant input from mental health teams throughout his adult life, including at least one inpatient admission. He had a care co-ordinator and access to the crisis team, and he got in touch with them on his final day.

The assistant coroner, David Urpeth, told the court that he was ‘absolutely convinced’ Robert travelled to the train station on August 30 intending to take his own life. The Star reports that Urpeth “could not, however, record his death as suicide because of doubt created by Robert’s actions in the moments before he died, as reported by eyewitnesses at the station”.

Exactly what was going through Robert Jenkinson’s mind will never be quite clear, much to the agony of the friends and relatives he left behind. But it is clear that he had care needs and he was asking for help.

A mental health crisis situation: “Just ask for help!”

Jenkinson’s case is not an unusual one, and the number of people requesting mental health care is overwhelming an underfunded and oversubscribed service. GPs can’t cope with the primary mental health care they are expected to provide, and secondary services, such as those Jenkinson was in touch with, are overwhelmed by the number of people they are supposed to care for and treat.

Mental health services are creaking at the seams, so weeks like Mental Health Awareness Week – as it has been this week – are really important. They should be tackling the underfunding of key health services and demanding that the government pick up the slack.

But they are not, instead, they are sending out twee messages about the importance of speaking out and asking for help.

Which is, I mean, I guess it’s fine. But it massively oversimplifies a national crisis that is killing people every day. Mental health services are splitting at the seams and telling people experiencing mental distress to speak out and ask for help is like telling people with broken legs to walk themselves to the A&E that closed in their area six months ago.

It’s almost impossible and it’s verging on pointless.

Because, you know what? We are all aware of mental health already. Who doesn’t know that depression is a fucking nightmare and anxiety attacks are terrifying? Who doesn’t know that some people hear voices and others have mood swings that can be extreme and damaging? I’m not saying that public awareness and information provision isn’t important – it is – but we need to get beyond this same message, year after year, and move into action because we are experiencing a full-on catastrophe.

Rising poverty is exacerbating mental health problems for many and welfare cuts are causing crises across the country. Mental health problems are also disproportionately experienced in people living marginal lives in one way or another. I’ve seen appeals for food banks that are running on empty, and others for people who need therapy and can’t get any on the NHS. We are talking about an epidemic of people experiencing mental ill-health and when Theresa May wears a green ‘mental health awareness’ ribbon in parliament, all the while decimating services and charity funding, it makes me want to scream.

Sharing a meme that says “I believe that mental health is important!” or “You can talk to me if you feel sad” is a good start. It can help somebody who has never spoken about their problems to speak up, and encourage them to feel that there are people around them who will be supportive and helpful. But let’s not proclaim this as radical when it barely scratches the surface.

Inpatient wards are closing down, outpatient mental health teams are being “reorganised” and getting suspiciously smaller every time, and crisis teams tell their callers to call back later and leave a message, just before that person dies. And while there is no one person to blame for any person’s suicide – it is always a complex mixture of misery and pain – there are things that we know are unhelpful, such as ringing a number that won’t be answered, asking the GP to refer us for more specialised help when none is available, and not having enough money to do the basics like eat and live somewhere safe and secure.

Mental health awareness is a start. But we need to go a million miles further if we are to make a dent in the abject mental health crisis that we are currently living in.

Photo: Aaron/Creative Commons