The government has pledged that children, young people and adults experiencing mental distress will receive broader support and advice at the earliest opportunity, without having to wait for a clinical diagnosis.
In response to the findings of the Independent Review into prevalence and support for mental health conditions, ADHD and autism, the Government has committed to a major overhaul of mental health support in the upcoming Mental Health Strategy.
The strategy will set out a renewed focus on prevention and early intervention, to make sure that people receive the right help, at the right time, in the right place.
The review was chaired by leading clinical psychologist Professor Peter Fonagy with the support of vice chairs Professor Sir Simon Wessely and Professor Gillian Baird.
It found that mental distress has increased substantially among children and young people. This has been driven by several factors including social media, financial insecurity, increased uncertainty about the future, poorer sleep, and reduced feelings of connection and belonging.
For children, young people and adults experiencing mental distress, greater support will be available in schools, colleges and communities with a focus on earlier intervention, reducing long waits and ensuring support is available before and without a diagnosis.
Where clinically appropriate, the system will continue to offer diagnosis and treatment, for example when someone may require medication.
Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Yvette Cooper said: "Professor Fonagy’s review has shown the importance of early intervention to address mental health and neurodevelopmental conditions and the huge distress these can cause. It is clear that mental health services need to change to focus more on the early support young people need to stay in education or work or keep their lives on track. We will set out our response in a new Mental Health Strategy in the coming months, building on the new mental health services we are already providing in schools and in the community.
"Based on the review findings, we will also take action to strengthen the oversight of mental health and neurodevelopmental services, and make all diagnostic assessments for ADHD and autism CQC-regulated, so people can be confident that assessments are high quality and that the NHS is not being overcharged by independent or private providers."
Professor Peter Fonagy, Head of the UCL Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, said: "Our findings show a system under immense strain, where diagnosis has increasingly become a very narrow pathway to finding support for distress caused by complex and wide-ranging factors. This Review’s recommendations offer a roadmap to shift from a diagnostic labelling model to a flexible, needs-led system.
"Diagnosis remains essential and must be protected - what has to change is that it is no longer the only door through which help can be reached. If we judge success by a person’s overall wellbeing and ability to take part in work, education, and staying connected to their community rather than by a narrow mechanism like diagnosis, we can shift to a system that intervenes early in communities and safeguards specialist capacity for those with severe needs."
