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Cotswolds Living Magazine talks to Gladstones Clinic about the mental health crisis and the way forward.

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Cotswolds Living Magazine talks to Gladstones Clinic about the mental health crisis and the way forward.

September 2020

What’s the true scale of the mental health crisis? 

We’re growing accustomed to news highlighting the mental health and addiction crisis sweeping the nation. As the Cotswolds and indeed the country continues to ease out of lockdown, reports suggest demand for therapy services will continue to rise with the NHS increasing funding and recruiting and employers told to expect a traumatised workforce. 

The NHS Confederation’s mental health lead, Sean Duggan told BBC News recently “when coronavirus cases were at their highest, people stayed away from services, as they did from other parts of the NHS” and “flagged isolation, substance misuse, domestic violence and economic uncertainty as factors that might contribute to the need for extra [mental health] support”. 

It’s difficult to gauge the true scale of the problem in our local communities. Is the whole country affected? Do the majority of us need therapy, hospital or rehab? Dr Pardeep Grewal, BSc, MBBS, MSc, FRCPsych who leads the clinical provision for Gladstones Clinics says the true picture is more nuanced. 

He explains there’s a wide range of reactions and yes, the majority of people have been negatively impacted by lockdown and for most this is relatively easily managed, but there’s a sizeable proportion struggling either with new mental health issues or turning to unhealthy coping strategies and are now facing new challenges of lockdown easing. Latest figures from the ONS show 1 in 5 are showing signs of depression, compared to 1 in 10 before the pandemic.

Dr Grewal’s guide which has reached 20,000 views on social media, not only includes short podcasts which everyone can benefit from but also explains the choices for those who are experiencing issues for the first time, found existing issues have intensified or are struggling with long-term problems. 

So what is the way forward? Gladstones have seen a steady stream of clients with addiction and mental health problems with no sign of slowing down. The NHS predicts a 10-30 per cent drop in NHS mental health capacity due to social distancing measures.

How do we find a route through? 

Gladstones believe the solution lies in the NHS and the private sector working together to be able for us, in the Cotswolds at least, to provide the support to those in need. Gladstones are actively seeking collaboration with the NHS. Gladstones has been supporting people to find recovery for over 15 years. With a highly experienced team operating in London and Dursley, Gloucestershire, Gladstones’ approach is to understand the causes and treat the whole person holistically; emotionally, physically, mentally. 

The proven approaches are tailored to each individual in order to facilitate change. Gladstones treats mental health and addiction for all age groups, offers a praised family therapy programme and free aftercare.

What our Clients say about us 

I cannot thank all at Gladstones enough for supporting me in my recovery. I was…on the verge of losing everything. The staff are amazing and the therapy second to none. I wasn’t able to stop for one whole day before I went in and now have 6 months recovery, a home and my daughter back in my life. I owe my life to Gladstones. Support after leaving has been phenomenal. Thank you x  Google Review 

Sources BBC News, The Telegraph, ONS, Wired UK
Dr Grewal’s guide can be found here

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