Leading doctors warn over ‘silent mental health pandemic’
There is a “silent mental health pandemic” affecting people across England, a leading psychiatrist has said as she warned that mental health services face “stigma” over funding because people “can’t see” mental illness.
Royal College of Psychiatrists president Dr Lade Smith said health service money instead gets diverted to tackle issues such as people waiting on trolleys in corridors because “the cog that squeaks gets the oil”.
“People can’t see it, they think it’s not as important,” she said.
It comes as the College warned of a rise in certain conditions, particularly anxiety and depression.
“Over four million people are actually in contact with mental health services, (that is) a massive increase compared with a few years ago,” she said.
“And today there are 1.8 million people who’ve been referred to treatment, waiting for treatment.”
The College said that in 2016/17 there were 2.6 million people in contact with mental health services in England which rose to 4.1 million in 2024/25.
This includes 1.2 million children in 2024/25, compared to 500,000 a decade ago.
“The problem is this: less than one third of people who need mental health care actually get access to mental health care, these are illnesses that have profound effects on people’s lives,” Dr Smith said.
“Imagine if this was leukaemia.”
She went on: “There has been a real increase in the rate of certain mental disorders, particularly anxiety and depression.
“And that’s thought to be related to the fact that there are just more risk factors for those conditions – we know that about 70 to 80% of mental illness is actually driven by social determinants, not necessarily by clinical factors, so that includes, poverty, financial insecurity, debt, trauma and so on.
“And if we can do something about that, that’s going to reduce the risk.”
Asked if she was concerned about funding for mental health services being diverted to physical health care, she said: “The reason we’re worried about it is because it’s happened before. It happens all the time.
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“The cog that squeaks that gets the oil… especially when you walk into hospital and there’s people in the corridors, that’s the stuff that gets the headlines, that’s the stuff that people think about.
“I think that there’s limited understanding of the extent of mental health problems… we just don’t have the same kind of voice.
“There is a structural discrimination against people mental illness, and those of us who deliver care for people with mental illness, meaning that the stigma, all of the kind of like, ‘just pull yourself together’ stuff is still out there – and it pervades people’s understanding.
“And it makes it makes it harder for us to have a voice at the table.
“When it comes to commissioning people can’t see it, they think it’s not as important.”
She added: “There is no greater threat to the health of children and young adults than the silent mental health pandemic that has spiralled out of control.
“Mental illness is keeping people away from school, from work and leading to tragic cases of self harm and suicide.”
The College pointed out that mental healthcare receives less than 9% of NHS spending despite accounting for 20% of the country’s disease burden.
It called on the Government to increase mental health spending, prioritise community mental health care, create patient outcome and waiting time standards in mental health, to increase inpatient bed capacity and to invest in mental health research.
The Department of Health and Social Care has been approached for comment.
