I will vote for a government that supports people with their mental health

As part of its election coverage, Yahoo News is talking to voters across the country about the issues that will affect their vote. Read more of our picks’your voice‘ series here as we approach voting day on the 4th of July.

It only took one bad comment to turn Mel Rose’s world upside down.

She was just 11 when a girl at school called her ‘fat’, sparking a lifelong battle with bulimia. The 25-year-old also suffers from anxiety, depression and emotional personality disorder, which can make her ‘very, very depressed’ and has made it difficult for her to hold down a full-time job.

Even going out can be a struggle for Rose, with bus rides leaving her panicked and sweaty. “We need a government that supports people with their mental health and can help with the cost of living,” says Rose. “That’s what I’ll be looking for when I decide who to vote for.”

For years, Rose had NHS therapy alongside her medication, but two years ago she was told it could no longer be funded. “It was suddenly removed without any explanation,” she says. “I was devastated because talking to someone helped me deal with my bulimia and feelings of anxiety, and I felt like my life was getting better.

“I’m not the only person missing out on mental health support. This is happening to a lot of my friends – people who are really struggling.”

Around 1.9 million people are waiting for NHS mental health treatment in England, according to research by the Children’s Commissioner.

Latest figures on the number of people waiting for mental health treatment in Wales, where Rose lives, have not been released, but an investigation by ITV Wales revealed some children were waiting almost two years to get support with their mental health through the NHS.

Rose lives in Wrexham where health is a devolved matter, but believes that tackling issues with the NHS for the whole nation, particularly around mental health, should be a top priority for any future government.

The Tories’ promises on health are wide-ranging – they have pledged to reduce debt to secure the future of public services and cut waiting lists to get people the NHS care they need sooner, while Labor and the Liberals -Democrats have been more honest in dealing with mental health. .

The Labor Party manifesto includes promises to reform the Mental Health Act, improve mental health services and take a prevention-focused cross-government approach to tackling the social determinants of mental health.

Rose is supportive of all plans to improve mental health services but says if she ‘had a gun to her head’ and had to vote Lib Dems or Labour, Ed Davey’s party would shun her because of promising to have a qualified mental health professional in every school and a 24/7 helpline for people to book GP appointments.

“If I had had a mental health nurse at school when I was growing up, maybe things would have been different,” she says. “But I don’t believe any of the promises made by politicians. I’ll believe it when I see it.”

For a while, Rose and her parents struggled to pay for her to have private therapy, but at £75 a week they couldn’t afford it.

Rose says to keep her part-time job as a carer for the blind, she has to stay fit: “I have to stay calm because if I get stressed, the people I work with get stressed. They are in my safety. But it can be difficult to keep my anxiety under control, especially without support.”

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Rose, who still struggles with her image, says taking a client swimming the other day left her ‘shivering’. She says: “Without therapy I can’t do my job, but without work I can’t afford the help I need. It’s a vicious circle.”

Although the Welsh Government is responsible for how it funds healthcare, Rose says it holds central government responsible for the cost of living crisis, which is exacerbating mental health issues.

“I know many, many people who use food banks, and my family is cutting back on everything, like food and gas,” she says. “Less car trips mean I’m stuck at home more, which makes me feel trapped and depressed.”

Nor is Rose the only young person affected by this issue. More than a third of 16-34 year olds (34%) in Wales have reported a decline in mental health in the past year and 84% of respondents said the cost of living crisis had affected their mental health, according to research by Mind Cymru. .

The charity found that one in five people in Rose’s age group have had to use a food bank in the last 12 months and statistics show high proportions of this age group feel stressed, more anxious, depressed, lonely and with eating problems.

Dr Sarah Hughes, chief executive of Mind, responded to the general election news by saying that mental health cannot be treated in isolation.

“The cost of living crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic and rising levels of poverty have put an unprecedented strain on many people,” she says. “All of this, combined with a mental health system that is creaking under ever-increasing levels of need and long waiting lists, means there is an urgent need for action.”

Mind says any future government should invest in and improve mental health services and reform the benefits and sickness payments system so there is a social safety net for people with mental health problems.

It also calls for reforms to the outdated Mental Health Act, including giving people an automatic right to assessment and treatment, providing lawyers for people in mental health hospitals and a test for under-16s to see if they can to make decisions about their treatment.

Rose has never voted before and says it’s because politics didn’t seem relevant to her.

Figures from the Electoral Commission reveal that only 54% of 18-25 year olds voted in the last general election of 2019.

“I’m still a reluctant voter because nobody in power seems to be talking very well,” says Rose.

“The government don’t seem to care about the mental health system or long A&E waits and are wasting their money on pathetic things. They need to make their policies more accessible, attract the attention of young people and make promises that people will understand.”

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