Service Description of Mental health services

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If you think you are suffering from a mental health problem, the first person you should visit is your GP. He or she will begin to diagnose the problem and to direct you towards the type of help you will need. This may be simple advice or counselling, available locally from a practice nurse or counsellor, or medication may be prescribed.

Nurses can give assessment tests using questions that indicate whether a person may be likely to develop certain types of behaviour, including whether the patient is likely to harm himself or herself. Other assessments might include a drink diary, or post-natal depression questionnaire. Further services for people with mental health problems include community mental health teams, psychiatrists in outpatient clinics, and social workers.

There are many specialist health professionals and services, to which the patient can be referred for additional help. Specialists include eating disorder units, cognitive or behavioural therapists, psychologists, and psychiatrists. Treatment can also entail family or group therapy. Local social services are sometimes involved, particularly in resolving underlying causes of anxiety and other problems, or coordinating practical assistance.

In more extreme cases, if a person is considered a risk to themselves or (rarely) to others, they can be subject to compulsory admission to a place of safety and detention, such as a secure hospital facility. This is sometimes known as being â€˜sectionedâ€™, under the Mental Health Act (1983).

The mental health services also work with carers, to provide them with support, advice and information. Carers are unpaid family members, partners or friends who look after the day-to-day needs of a person with mental health problems. They may have access to a respite service that gives them an occasional break from their responsibilities as a carer.