Letters / Do people always get referred to the mental health team when they should be?
With reference to the article in Shetland News, Longest ongoing mental health treatment wait 62 weeks published on 13 July, I am pleased to see that there is a “significant reduction” in waiting times for those people who are referred to the mental health team.
But I would be interested to know how many people who present with mental ill health actually get referred in the first place.
According to this report by SAMH published in 2020, many people are not being referred when they should be.
“The research found that almost half of respondents (48 per cent) were not referred to a psychological therapy. Additionally, almost half of respondents who were prescribed an antidepressant (49 per cent) were not referred to a psychological therapy, despite medical guidance advising that antidepressants should be prescribed alongside a psychological therapy.”
I would be keen to know how many people are not actually referred for therapy in Shetland and instead just prescribed anti-depressants with no additional therapy offered.
Debra Nicolson
Tresta
In response Karen Smith, NHS Shetland’s head of mental health, told Shetland News:
“Many people who present with mental ill health do not need referring into the mental health team (CMHT). The CMHT is a specialist service that works with people who have a mental illness and/or substance use issues.
There are many different levels of mental ill health and for individuals with mild mental health problems there are other things they can do rather than being referred into the CMHT i.e. talking with family and friends, eating and sleeping well, exercise etc. all of these will help individuals to improve their mood.
There are also on-line therapies that can help i.e. silver cloud. Individuals can also refer themselves to Mind Your Head if they need some additional support. If an individual presented with high blood pressure they would not automatically assume they need to be referred to a cardiologist, this is the same with mental health.
The SAMH report discusses individuals who were prescribed anti-depressants and not referred on for therapies. Again not all individuals need referring on for therapy. For some people taking anti-depressants for a short period is enough to lift them out of their low mood and will enable them to undertake activities that will be positive for their well-being. Also some people don’t want referring into the service and that is their choice.”
