2024 election: broken promises mean mental health is losing out no matter who wins the election

According to many experts, the UK has a mental health problem.

In England alone, an estimated 1.2 million people are waiting for mental health help. About 270,000 of those waiting are children.

The burden of mental health is increasing rapidly – costing the UK economy around £120 billion each year, mainly due to lost productivity. This is equivalent to 5% of UK GDP.

There is a clear need to address mental health care in the UK. Although many parties have outlined plans in their manifestos to address this problem, most of these measures will still be lacking – regardless of who wins.

The Conservatives

The Conservative party manifesto advocates a two-pronged approach.

First, like many parties, they commit to additional funding for support and treatment – especially for children and young people. This makes sense as early intervention can prevent other mental health problems from getting worse.

They also plan to expand their current project of a support center for people aged 11-25 in every community by 2030. These centers provide youth with treatment and advice on a wide range of issues. However, nothing in their plans suggests that they will help young people negotiate the economic conditions that often lead to mental health problems.

The second part of the Conservatives’ mental health plans is problematic. They are planning to make major changes to who can qualify for benefits and independence payments (PIP). The party plans to introduce more “targeted” PIP assessments to prevent people with “mental health problems” who may still be able to work and cut costs.

This plan trivializes people with mental illness and ignores how problems at work and financial insecurity can sometimes cause or exacerbate mental illness. Instead of giving people time to recover, this policy is likely to worsen symptoms in those who are struggling – which could ultimately lower productivity in the future.

Work

The Labor Manifesto also focuses on the mental health of children and young people.

They will create “new spaces of the future”. Although mainly aimed at reducing knife crime, these areas will also offer mental health services. Labor is promising specialist mental health services in every school, and plans to hire 8,500 new NHS mental health workers to reduce waiting times.

The work emphasizes its preventive approach – and that mental illness must be treated in the same way as physical illness. However, Labor does not explain how it intends to prevent mental illness.

The party is committed to improving the Mental Health Act to reduce discrimination against Black people in mental health services.

Black people are five times more likely to be arrested under the Mental Health Act than white people. Since the act determines who can be classified and treated without consent, revising it will ensure that Black patients have greater autonomy, choice and support when it comes to care. of them.

Liberal Democrats

The Liberal Democrat party’s mental health plans are perhaps the most comprehensive of all parties – although that may not be saying much.

The party plans to create youth mental health centers and hire more mental health professionals in schools. The Lib Dems also want to reform the Mental Health Act, and will introduce a mental health commissioner to represent patients at a legal level.

The Lib Dems promise to help the police deal better with mental health crises. They will introduce a one-hour target to refer vulnerable people to mental health services, provide more mental health training for police and ensure that mental health professionals of common sense in every police control room.

They acknowledge the need to improve existing psychiatric hospitals where there has been evidence of abuse. They want to ensure that patients are taken to treatment centers close to their homes.

The Lib Dem manifesto proposes introducing measures to prevent mental health. They will provide mental health assessments at key life stages, which can result in early diagnosis of problems. They believe there is a link between debt and mental illness. However, the manifesto often lacks a clear, comprehensive prevention strategy.

The Greens

The focus of mental health in the Green party manifesto is to address the needs of disadvantaged groups.

For example, the Greens will put counselors in every school and train more from non-representative cultures. This can encourage vulnerable children to seek help. They will provide additional support to neurodivergent children, which may prevent future problems from arising. They are pledging to increase funding for mental health services to ensure people can access treatment within 28 days.

Surprisingly, the Greens say nothing about the link between mental health and the environment – such as the health benefits of spending time outdoors. This missed opportunity highlights how mental health care is off the political radar for most parties.

Plaid Cymru, SNP and Reform

Plaid Cymru’s manifesto briefly mentions mental health – it says it supports reform of the Mental Health Act. They want to introduce changes so that neurodivergent children and young people do not have to wait a long time for support.

The SNP manifesto does not address mental health directly, but mental health has become a devolved power. Therefore, mental health will be clearly addressed during the next Holyrood election.

The UK Reform Manifesto makes no mention of mental health. It briefly states that work is “important” for improving mental health, but does not take into account the limitations associated with work and mental health – such as the risk of harmful or useless work in relation to health beautiful. The amendment does not explain how it will ensure that people with mental health problems can find work.

Reform says social media can cause a variety of mental health problems in children and has pledged to launch research into these risks. However, research shows that the relationship between social media and mental health is complex and multifaceted.

Overall message

All the manifestos lack the kind of mental health prevention strategy that will stem the rising tide of mental illness. Although there is a lot of evidence showing how socioeconomic problems, lack of access to nature and food affect our mental health, none of the manifestos address these issues. directly.

Regardless of who wins, most of these promises will do little to solve the mental health problem.