Pre-COVID, demand was already way outstripping supply, by a long, long, long way.

And the supply was/is... Not much of a supply. https://www.bbc.com/news/health-53742121

And ugghh expanding IAPT won't do anything. I have had anxiety disorder & depression for over ten years, and yet through IAPT, which I was told to apply to during an emergency apt when I was in crisis, I was given a list of websites & eventually 6 sessions with a psychologist...

...for basic CBT, for one issue. No exploration into other kinds of therapy. No confrontation of other issues and causes. Others who have been around the NHS mental health service rodeo before will know that offering 'a bit of CBT' is not remotely sufficient.

And CBT doesn't work for everyone. It doesn't work for me. Telling me my thought patterns are negative and I should just 'put my positive glasses on' when I have an imbalance of brain chemicals and a history of traumatic events, is not helpful.

And to get to that CBT I had to first attend a group session thing (a few of us with anxiety were really shocked they didn't warn us in advance about this!) where they pushed online therapy and telephone therapy and really tried to dissuade us from face to face therapy.

I knew what support I needed because I have had these illnesses a long time and have been through numerous treatment cycles before on the NHS. But no. All that hoop-jumping for basically nothing. Sorry to rant, but it's not good enough at all.

(and this exp. was all pre eating disorder, don't even get me started on that)

And it was hard enough trying to actually get to a GP to discuss mental illness before covid. I ended up finally getting diagnosed and *some* treatment at a walk in centre in a total crisis. Even then, when I got to my GP, they gave me meds in about 5mins w/o any discussion.

No explanation of what they were or whether they'd work, no follow up, nothing. (Spoiler: they didn't work. Things got much worse).

The system needs a lot of funding and attention. It lets us all down.