‘Even one suicide is one too many.’

The UK is in the middle of a mental health crisis. Between 2022 and 2023, the suicide rate in England rose by 6 percent. New Office for National Statistics data shows that there were 5,579 registered suicides in England in 2023. Jen Walters of the mental health charity Mind described the increase as “very concerning.”

“Even one suicide is one too many. The causes of suicide are many, complex, and vary from one person to another,” she said.

Walters suggested that part of the increase could be attributed to the ongoing impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, stating: “We are still feeling the seismic effects from the pandemic, and the cost-of-living crisis is continuing to have a devastating impact on society. We must do much more to reverse this.”

To help alleviate the crisis, people in England who are in crisis or concerned about a loved one can call 111 and select the mental health option to speak to a trained professional. The service began in England on August 27. Staff handling the 111 calls will be able to organise face-to-face community support for patients or guide them to other services.

Although new to England, the service has been available in Wales and Scotland for a number of months. Local health systems previously had their own separate phone lines, which took about 200,000 calls per month.

Mental health experts have welcomed the move but warn that more funding for mental health is required. Lynn Crilly, an author and mental health counsellor, praised the move as a “huge step forward in the recognition of mental health issues.”

Crilly’s daughter was diagnosed with an eating disorder and OCD 20 years ago. She said that the move was needed to ensure the conditions are given the same attention as physical ones.

“Having been involved in mental health care in England for the past 20 years, this to me is a huge step forward in the recognition of mental health issues as equal to physical health problems,” she added.

But the expert adds caution, saying she had “hope” the service would benefit more people than not, but warned it would need additional support to be able to cope.

“From my experience, there needs to be funding allocated to mental health services and those organisations who provide support on behalf of the NHS if they want to make the difference which is desperately needed,” she said.

As demand for mental health care rises, available resources have become increasingly strained. A report by the British Medical Journal (BMJ) released in February, described mental health services in Britain as “broken.” The report concluded that across the NHS, doctors are in an ongoing struggle to give patients the care they need because the “funding is just not enough, there are not enough staff, and the infrastructure and systems are not fit for purpose.”  A psychiatrist from Greater Manchester highlighted the dire situation, stating: “[Support for people with mental health conditions] is shocking. We would not tolerate this in any other area of medicine.”

The new government has announced plans to prioritise mental health on par with physical health. It has pledged to recruit 8,500 specifically trained mental health staff during its first term to reduce waiting times. Labour has also committed to providing access to specialist mental health professionals in every school and establishing Young Futures hubs, which will offer open access to mental health services for children and young people in every community.

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