MORE than one in four people with pre-existing mental health conditions saw their specialist treatment stop altogether during the pandemic, according to research which lays bare the impact of lockdown one year on.
Charity SAMH charted the experiences of more than 1000 people in Scotland previously diagnosed with illnesses such as depression, carrying out surveys and in-depth interviews with them between August and December last year.
By the time of the final survey in November, 27 per cent said their specialist care - such as counselling or cognitive behavioural therapy - had been suspended completely and had not yet resumed, even using remote technologies.
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Billy Watson, chief executive at SAMH, said: "That's a very telling figure. From all the research and all the data, that might be the standout one.
"We have to ask ourselves why, given that there is a transition and recovery plan for mental health in place, which pre-dated that.
"Out of the three populations that we've been researching and concerned about - the general population at large, those who have risk factors, and then those who had pre-existing mental health problems - this latest set of findings shows that those with pre-existing mental health difficulties have been hit really hard.
"For people who are already indicated for support to have that stopped, is really significant."
The charity's report, published today, also found that by November 56% of respondents felt that their mental health had worsened compared to the beginning of the pandemic, and of the 64% who had tried to speak to their GP during that time, one in 10 had been unsuccessful.
The move away from face-to-face appointments towards remote consultations via telephone or Zoom-style videolinks was also unhelpful for some patients.
"Quite a lot of the people in our research spoke about finding that more isolating at a time when their confidence, their self-esteem, and their ability to seek help is in some way impaired," said Mr Watson.
"We don't want to exacerbate that. We need to be careful and person-centred and understand that what's good for one person might not be good for someone else with the same condition, depending on where they live and what their circumstances are.
"Resumption of face to face mental health services needs to be a key priority."
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Hayley Mathieson, from Dunfermline, was diagnosed with adult attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) five years ago, aged 32, following a chance encounter with a child psychiatrist at a friend's Thanksgiving party.
Until then, her symptoms - which had caused her to feel suicidal at times - had been mistaken for bipolar disorder.
By the time that Covid struck in Scotland, Ms Mathieson was on medication for ADHD, depression, and attending weekly group therapy sessions, which she found "really helpful".
Then the group therapy "stopped completely", and even accessing medication became unreliable at times.
"I didn't hear anything from my psychiatrist until about July or August," said Ms Mathieson.
"It was me who had to approach them and say 'look, I'm really not doing very well'.
"I had problems getting my medication because it's a controlled substance [amphetamine] and my GP won't prescribed it.
"To get it I have to email the secretary of the psychiatrist who may or may not pass it on, and then I just have to wait and see if I get a prescription letter in the post.
"Sometimes it's not right. Even tiny things like writing 'tablets' instead of 'pills' means the pharmacist won't give the prescription out and I have to go all the way back to the start.
"During the summer I ended up going without medication for about two weeks. I was self-medicating with alcohol.
"I just couldn't function because you go through withdrawal and all the horrible thoughts start coming back.
"I let things slip. My house was a mess. I wasn't eating or sleeping, bills weren't getting paid. I'm still trying to put that right now."
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Although recovered, none of Ms Mathieson's mental health services have resumed and she has not had her weight or blood pressure measured in over a year.
Before Covid, it was checked every three months due to the potential risks from amphetamine - also known as 'speed'.
"It can take a physical toll on your health, so that does concern me a little bit," she said.
A spokesman for the Scottish Government said it had invested £120 million in its Mental Health Recovery and Renewal Fund, taking overall spending on mental health in 2021-22 to over £1.2 billion.
This will include £10 million to help clear backlogs in psychological therapies waiting lists for adults.
He added: “There have been obvious operational difficulties caused by Covid-19 and the restrictions put in place over lockdown.
"While boards have responded creatively and continue to treat significant numbers, their priority has been to ensure that emergency and urgent cases are seen, and this has regrettably meant longer waits for some. We are working closely with NHS Boards to address this."
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