There are many ways that a person who is struggling with their mental health can seek support. Whether they are struggling with obsessive-compulsive disorder, depression, or addiction, there are a variety of resources and support available. From rehab facilities to therapists, there is something that can suit everyone.
Unfortunately, it can be extremely difficult for a person to seek help. Even if they are struggling and want to change, they may come up against various barriers that will impact their ability to seek support, or even how accessible the support is for them to seek.
It can be helpful to identify what some of those barriers are so that they can be considered and people can work better to overcome them or work towards removing these barriers so mental health support can be accessed by everyone. With more and more people each year struggling with their mental health, it has never been more important for people to use their voices and make a change.
To aid in making mental health support more accessible, here are some of the barriers that people experience when trying to access mental health services.
#1 – Treatments aren’t available in all locations
While there are many services available that can support you with your mental health, they are not made available in every location. This could be for a variety of reasons, for example, there aren’t enough funds in the local authorities’ budget to invest in that particular service. In some locations, you might also find that they offer the services, but they are not available because they are full and they have a waiting list. These waiting lists can be particularly long, and some leave people waiting years to access a service.
#2 – Treatments are expensive
Mental health support and treatments can be made available on different schemes. If you are in the United Kingdom (UK), some are available on the National Health Service (NHS). Many other mental health services are private, which means they come at an expense. Mental health professionals are highly trained individuals, who are educated to gain specific experience and qualifications for years before they can help people. They also have a lot of expenses as a professional, as they have to continue to learn and finance their studies. This, amongst other factors, can make mental health support expensive. Unfortunately, this makes it inaccessible for a lot of people.
#3 – Not finding the right treatment or support
When you are struggling with mental health problems, there is no quick or easy fix. There are often a multitude of problems that may be contributing to your experience. When you are not having a good time with your health, it can be hard to gain perspective, or even understand what is going on with your mind and body. This can make it difficult to ask for the right kind of support or treatment. You might also find that your doctor has recommended some treatments, and none of them have worked.
Mental health services should be made more accessible. To help make a change, it is important to understand what problems people are facing.
