[Twosugars]

Four in 10 GPs are advising parents of children with mental health problems to pay for private care because NHS services are too overwhelmed to help.

In a survey, 43% of UK family doctors said they told parents whose children were struggling with anxiety, depression, self-harm or eating disorders to seek treatment privately if they could afford it because NHS care is heavily rationed and involves delays of up to 18 months.

The fact that so many families are being directed to private treatment highlights the inability of NHS child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) to cope with the growing demand for care from under-18s who have mental ill health.
https://www.theguardian.com/society/...y-ill-children

Tory Britain

[The Slim Reaper]

I mean, this in't great but we still have brown people in the country so whadayagonnado?

[Beso]

There is simply to many people in the uk's cities atm, our services simply can't cope with them all.

[The Slim Reaper]

Right on cue

[Beso]

Facts are facts slim..not my fault is it.

[bots]

For all but terminal illnesses, doctors have always recommended private treatment if people want fast action and this has been the case for more than 50 years that i know of

[Cherie]

Maybe we should be looking at why mental illness in children has grown at such an alarming rate in 20 years, there should be more funding but throwing money at it isn’t going to fix the problem.

[Beso]

Originally Posted by Cherie

Maybe we should be looking at why mental illness in children has grown at such an alarming rate in 20 years, there should be more funding butthrowing money at it isn’t going to fix the problem.

I was just going to say the same....I think it points to social media and video gaming,

[Oliver_W]

Originally Posted by Cherie

Maybe we should be looking at why mental illness in children has grown at such an alarming rate in 20 years, there should be more funding butthrowing money at it isn’t going to fix the problem.

I blame increased use of social media, "celebrity culture", and ignorant parents tied to their smartphone.

[Kizzy]

Originally Posted by bitontheslide

For all but terminal illnesses, doctors have always recommended private treatment if people want fast action and this has been the case for more than 50 years that i know of

Is anorexia not a terminal illness?..

[The Slim Reaper]

[Oliver_W]

Originally Posted by Kizzy

Is anorexia not a terminal illness?..

Untreated the mortality rate is 20%, treated it's around 2%.

[Tom4784]

Blaming immigration for the cuts to NHS has always been the foolish excuse of people desperate to please their tory overlords.

Tories are choosing to make cuts in order to push their agenda of privatisation and blaming anyone that isn't white is a surefire way to get the masses on side.

[Oliver_W]

Two things can be true at once - there can be too many people for the infrastructure to cope with, and there can be too many cuts going on.

[Beso]

White families have children living in cities as well...jump of that tired old horse, don't you think the poor things been flogged enough...it's nearly dead

[Tom4784]

Originally Posted by Oliver_W

Two things can be true at once - there can be too many people for the infrastructure to cope with, and there can be too many cuts going on.

That can be true but be honest with yourself, the cuts to the NHS are nothing more than a push for privatisation. Anyone that's blaming immigrants is falling for the scapegoat.

Listen to what the people who actually work for the NHS are telling you. There's so many cases of doctors and nurses pretty much screaming at the populace to pay attention to the evil that's poisoning the NHS but everyone's just like 'Nope, let's blame the brown people instead.'

[user104658]

Originally Posted by Oliver_W

Two things can be true at once - there can be too many people for the infrastructure to cope with, and there can be too many cuts going on.

Cutting immigration would result in a declining, ageing population without a working-age taxable population to support (financially and physically) those people and the entire care infrastructure would collapse. "Less people" isn't a solution, unless the route to "less people" is (to be blunt) killing off the elderly.

It always makes me laugh when people claim that working-age immigrants are the major drain on health and care services. When it's old people. No ifs, ands or buts... the over-75's are such a massive drain on the healthcare system, that heavy smokers and drinkers actually end up being less of an overall drain on resources purely because they die younger.

[Oliver_W]

Originally Posted by Toy Soldier

Cutting immigration would result in a declining, ageing population without a working-age taxable population to support (financially and physically) those people and the entire care infrastructure would collapse. "Less people" isn't a solution, unless the route to "less people" is (to be blunt) killing off the elderly.

It always makes me laugh when people claim that working-age immigrants are the major drain on health and care services. When it's old people. No ifs, ands or buts... the over-75's are such a massive drain on the healthcare system, that heavy smokers and drinkers actually end up being less of an overall drain on resources purely because they die younger.

The population includes smokers, drinkers, jokers, thinkers, migrants, old people, babies ... i didn't say anything about immigrants, I said there are too many people for the infrastructure.

[user104658]

To be fair he's not incorrect, social media is a huge contributor to the increase in child and adolescent mental health problems and emotionally absent parents are another big factor - although, I'd say that there are parenting issues (such as addiction) that are far more pressing than "looking at their phone too much".

I also personally don't think we can overlook the fact that the world just isn't a particularly welcoming or friendly place right now... not sure why we're so baffled that kids are growing up unhappy?

[Marsh.]

Oh, he's not wrong in terms of contributing factors. Just he has a "thing" about this epidemic of parents replacing their children with phones. It's bordering on offensive and entirely ignorant of actually deep rooted issues.

[user104658]

Originally Posted by Marsh.

Oh, he's not wrong in terms of contributing factors. Just he has a "thing" about this epidemic of parents replacing their children with phones. It's bordering on offensive and entirely ignorant of actually deep rooted issues.

True, even when it does happen on a "chronic level" it's not like the parent just got a bit too fond of flappy bird. If someone is so glued to their phone that it's socially problematic, it's because they have an issue of their own... the inattentiveness is a symptom of the issue but not the issue itself.

[Marsh.]

Originally Posted by Toy Soldier

True, even when it does happen on a "chronic level" it's not like the parent just got a bit too fond of flappy bird. If someone is so glued to their phone that it's socially problematic, it's because they have an issue of their own... the inattentiveness is a symptom of the issue but not the issue itself.

Exactly. It's the modern day equivalent of blaming video games IMO.

Just demonises a section of people as materialistic and uncaring and not actually addressing the real reasons (ie. their own mental health problems).

[Oliver_W]

Originally Posted by Marsh.

If you need me to explain why saying "Parents go on their phone too much" in response to a child mental health issue is ridiculous there's nothing I can do for you I'm afraid.

Originally Posted by Marsh.

Exactly. It's the modern day equivalent of blaming video games IMO.

Just demonises a section of people as materialistic and uncaring and not actually addressing the real reasons (ie. their own mental health problems).

At no point did I say every parent who excessively uses their phone is being neglectful and/or causing their kids' problems; nor did I say every child with behavioural or other problems were caused by phone use. I was clearly theorising that in some cases, that was a possible cause.

Along with cyberbullying and "instagram culture"

Or just maybe the rise of both social media and mental health issues is just a coincidence...

[Niamh.]

Deleted some posts in here, please stop getting personal and insulting each other, you can disagree with each others points without doing that

[James]

The story in the original post doesn't surprise me because a main priority in health spending is care for the elderly. If you look at the figures from the last 20 years mortality rates have gone down, and it means that they are dealing with more chronic conditions in an ageing population.

Also when this topic came up on the forum recently I suggested private mental health therapy was something worth looking into if you need it.