These aren't outlandish requests, in fact, they're common sense. More widespread crisis intervention services in the community might actually stop people needing hospital in the first place. Staff who are appropriately trained to deal with people in severe mental distress in A&E could save a lot of heartache, both for staff and those looking for help. Counselling in primary care is so obvious it shouldn't even need to be on the list. For sure, I needed psychiatric intervention, but after that, I 110% needed talk therapy. Medication is only ever going to be 10% of the solution, the rest is working out triggers, finding coping mechanisms and finally realising what our own mental health life savers are.
I decided to go ahead and dunk a bucket of icy cold water over my head in the hope of encouraging a few more people to sign the petition.
If you haven't already done so, please, please go and sign it. We badly, I'd go so far as to say desperately, need improved mental health services in this country, particularly for those who don't have health insurance. If enough of us shout, maybe the powers that be will listen?
