Depression - the hidden epidemic
In
the same week that the National Service Framework on mental health
is to be published, a specialist in mental health has warned that
the service in Wales is in crisis, 91热爆 Wales' current affairs programme
Taro Naw reveals today (Monday 27 May).
In
the programme, broadcast on S4C, poet Gwyneth Lewis also speaks
out about her experience of depression.
One
in ten people in Wales suffer from depression and it is expected
that 20% of the population will experience a mental health problem
sometime during their lives.
By
2020 the World Health Organisation estimates that depression will
be the second main cause of disability in the world - second only
to heart disease and before road traffic accidents.
"We
do not have enough beds, not enough psychiatrists nor slots to see
patients early on," says Dr Huw Davies, consultant psychiatrist
in Bridgend.
"In
the meantime their depression deteriorates. We are already in crisis.
Investment is needed now, we can't afford to wait."
There
is also a serious shortage of specialists in the field. According
to figures from the Royal College of Psychiatrists, 43 of the 139
consultant psychiatrist posts remain vacant in Wales.
Two
years ago a National Service Framework for Mental Health was introduced
in England but there is no such plan as yet available for Wales.
So
far the Assembly, which has prioritised mental health along with
cancer and heart disease, has not decided on a framework nor extra
expenditure for services in Wales.
It
is possible to treat depression successfully with a combination
of anti-depressant drugs and cognitive behavioral therapy but at
the moment not many of the 290,000 patients in Wales receive appropriate
treatment.
Says
psychiatrist Dr Huw Davies: "If you happen to be a patient
in Wales the people who are there to help are under more pressure
compared to the new resources being invested in England. We're looking
forward to the same equality before long."
In
Taro Naw, two women speak of their personal experience with depression.
The
poet and author, Gwyneth Lewis, has recently published a book on
depression. Sunbathing in the Rain describes her experiences offering
help to others.
She
hopes that speaking publicly about her mental illness will also
dispel the taboo and stigma and secrecy surrounding depression.
Depression
is a serious illness and can in some cases lead to suicide. 7,000
people kill themselves in Britain every year.
Lyn
Davies of Pontarddulais has kept a diary of her life with depression.
As a former school teacher she says that pressure of work led to
her breakdown five years ago.
She
has not returned to work but volunteers with mental health charity,
MIND at Carmarthen.
With
the World Health Organisation predicting that depression will be
a major burden on countries around the world in future, overtaking
traditional illnesses like contagious diseases, there is mounting
pressure on authorities to formulate policies to deal with the problem
now.
The
National Assembly released the following statement to Taro Naw:
"The
issue of recruiting consultant psychiatrists is a UK-wide matter
and is not just related to Wales.
"Some
of the vacancies are because new posts have been created and this
has added to the overall number of posts available.
"The
Assembly is in regular contact with the Royal College about this
issue and has agreed there should be a care group work force review
to support the forthcoming National Service Framework for Mental
Health in Wales.
"Consultant
psychiatrists are one of the groups we are trying to recruit from
overseas. In conjunction with the Department of Health, the Assembly
is forging links with countries in the EU (most recently Germany)
and beyond to attract surplus qualified professionals to jobs where
there are identified long-term shortages."
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