Covid-19: Mental health services must be boosted to deal with “tsunami” of cases after lockdown

Mental health should be a “core element” of the response to the covid-19 pandemic, with greater investment to cope with a predicted surge in cases after lockdown, say psychiatrists and the World Health Organization. A survey by the Royal College of Psychiatrists of 1369 of its members at the beginning of May found that 43% were seeing an increase in urgent and emergency cases, including patients who had suicidal thoughts or were self-harming. At the same time 45% reported a fall in routine appointments, suggesting that self-isolation, shielding, school closures, and fear of engaging with health services because of the risk of infection may be keeping patients away. Wendy Burn, president of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, said, “We are already seeing the devastating impact of covid-19 on mental health with more people in crisis. But we …