On the 31st of January 2020 the first two cases of COVID-19 were confirmed, over a year later, many of us fail to recall what life was like before COVID-19 became a ‘normal’ aspect of our lives.
The pandemic has caused many major changes within today's society but it is evident that the real pandemic concerns the mental wellbeing of society's citizens, due to COVID-19. Many people have faced situations that have put them in predicaments where they have been left to feel vulnerable, isolated and stressed. One of the main factors contributing towards this is the current unemployment crisis where many companies were forced to make employees redundant particularly during the furlough period. In 2020 over 114 million people have lost their jobs because of the first lockdown, leaving many people fearful about finances and families dependent upon a salary became anxious about how they can continue to provide efficiently throughout the lockdown, a year later and these emotions are still the harsh reality of many families.
The overwhelming stress that the pandemic has caused has led to an increase in those suffering with mental health problems yet, there has been a decline in the number of services available. The Mental Health Act 1983 is the main piece of legislation that covers, supports, and protects the rights of people with a mental health disorder, people who are held under this act require urgent care/treatment as they are a risk to themselves and to others around them. It can be disputed that The Mental Health Act 1983 has been neglected throughout the COVID-19 pandemic as NHS support has become severely limited; those suffering with symptoms that indicate a mental health concern are left to inhabit these feelings alone as it has become increasingly hard to seek urgent support. A recent report identified a 30.4% increase in the amount of people who reported feelings of anxiety and/or depression from January-June 2019 in comparison to January 2021. In addition, alcohol and drug misuse has also significantly increased suggesting that people are turning to substance abuse rather than relying on the NHS or private services to seek support.
It can be debated that The Mental Health Act 1983 is unfair and somewhat discriminative due to the fact that those from a Black British background were four times more likely to be sectioned and detained in comparison to White British citizens. However, communities of colour still find it difficult to access systems of support suggesting, that due to the lack of support available to these communities they end up being detained at a higher rate as symptoms of anxiety and depression begin to become uncontrollable whereas those of a White British Origin are more likely to have access to systems of support leading to a quicker recovery. The Mental Health Act 1983 alongside the care/treatments that people receive once detained should be revised as it is evident to see that people shy away from seeking help with the fear that they will end up being detained. Being detained shouldn't invite emotions of fear or panic it should be looked at in a positive aspect however, the treatment that some people receive within the care of the NHS can justify why some may be fearful of entering a space where they do not have the freedom nor the choice to walk free without any prior assessment.
Kate King was suffering from postnatal depression where she experienced feeling anxious and suicidal despite the positive experiences she had, at the hospital she was a victim of abuse. She expressed those other patients could be cruel but the staff were no better as one nurse prompted her to commit suicide. As a patient inside a mental health facility where the staff are there to provide the utmost support to those who are experiencing severe mental health issues having an experience like Kate can be detrimental to one's recovery and can encourage suicidal behaviours leaving their mental state in an even worse state leading to a slower recovery. Unfortunately, Kate is one out of millions of people who experience abuse at the hands of private healthcare workers and NHS workers, supporting the claim that the Mental Health Act needs to be reformed so that the rights between patients and staff become more equivocal.
In 2018 the Mental Health Act 1983 went under review the government formed a ‘white paper’ where the changes submitted should lead to the reduce of the 1983 Act where although people can still be detained against their own will, changes to the Act should make this as a last resort. Therefore, other treatments should be visited first such as CBT or other forms of therapy. To tackle communities who are more affected by the 1983 Act the government also set out proposals such as introducing advocates who will be catered to adhere to patients cultural needs and assessing different ways that local authorities can improve mental health services dependent upon the ethnicity/cultural background of their local population. As our lives are becoming ‘normalised’ we can hope to start seeing evident reform within the way in which the Mental Health Act 1983 is distributed across different communities and, we can also hope to see more freedom for those seeking help from private/NHS healthcare workers before detention is considered.
Endnotes-
Aspinall, Evie. “COVID-19 Timeline - British Foreign Policy Group.” British Foreign Policy Group, 8 Apr. 2020, bfpg.co.uk/2020/04/covid-19-timeline/.
Gov.uk. “Detentions under the Mental Health Act.” Service.gov.uk, 12 Mar. 2019, www.ethnicity-facts-figures.service.gov.uk/health/mental-health/detentions-under-the-mental-health-act/latest.
legislation.gov.uk. “Mental Health Act 1983.” Legislation.gov.uk, 1983, www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1983/20/contents.
“Mental Health Act 1983.” Legislation.gov.uk, 1983, www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1983/20/contents.
“Mental Health Act Review | Mind, the Mental Health Charity - Help for Mental Health Problems.” Mind.org.uk, 2019, www.mind.org.uk/about-us/our-policy-work/mental-health-act-review/.
“Mental Health: The NHS Patients Who Are ‘Abused and Ignored.’” BBC News, 6 Dec. 2018, www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-46459434.
Panchal, Nirmita, et al. “The Implications of COVID-19 for Mental Health and Substance Use.” The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, 10 Feb. 2021, www.kff.org/coronavirus-covid-19/issue-brief/the-implications-of-covid-19-for-mental-health-and-substance-use/.
“The Implications of COVID-19 for Mental Health and Substance Use.” The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, 10 Feb. 2021, www.kff.org/coronavirus-covid-19/issue-brief/the-implications-of-covid-19-for-mental-health-and-substance-use/.
Richter, Felix. “COVID-19 Has Caused a Huge Amount of Lost Working Hours.” World Economic Forum, 4 Feb. 2021, www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/02/covid-employment-global-job-loss/.