mental health report
Mental health is a complex issue and although over 95% of sufferers could achieve a full recovery only about half do so. This poor outcome is mainly due to difficulties with accessing good quality mental health treatment. GPs largely prescribe medication and refer to the overburdened health services. The waiting lists are lengthy and most people are only seen once and then discharged.
An option is a Mental Health Report that describes the person’s problems, how it affects them, what choices they have and how quickly they can recover. People use the Mental Health Report to access therapy, to apply for benefits, in court cases and sometimes just to help understand themselves better. The Mental Health Report is not intended to replace healthcare but to empower people to get the best health they can.
The assessment is very different from a psychologist or psychiatrist report as the focus is on understanding not labelling. The assessment focuses on who the person is and what they want from life. It is more like a MOT for the brain so is suitable for those who do not have a mental illness. Many people find the assessment itself helpful to keep the person’s mental health running smoothly and prevent problems.
The report uses a technique from general practice called the Biopsychosocial Model. GPs in the past used to have the time to take an interest in the person rather than their diseases. They would find ways of helping the person improve their life in a series of ‘psychosocial steps’. They listened rather than reaching for the prescription pad or referral letters. Their results were impressive as they often prevented a person with problems from becoming unwell.
Modern understanding of mental health has led to medicalising of many emotional conditions and increased dependency. There are increasing numbers of people who are unable to work, marry or live independently. Paradoxically as mental health treatments have become more effective the delivery has failed. Partly this because it is now more difficult for anyone to know the right way forward and partly because services are becoming overloaded.
The GP used to manage 95% of mental health problems without referral but this fell to 90% by 2019. This was a small reduction for GPs and was mainly due to having larger list sizes and less staff. For secondary care it meant a doubling of the workload but the increase in staffing has not kept pace. Since 2019 the proportion managed in primary has fallen further with secondary care simply not keeping pace.
The cost of a mental health report is typically around £360 with a turnaround of 14 days. The report is written free of jargon and identifies simple practical options to restore or improve mental health. Interpretation of medical records and review of other reports is included free of charge.