Summary
The number of people accessing mental health services in the UK has reached record levels since the start of the pandemic. Many are seeking help for the first time, for others delays in treatment have made life in lockdown much harder.
The Royal College of Psychiatrists claims the number of adults experiencing some form of depression has doubled since March 2020. They say NHS services are struggling to cope with demand, meaning some people are having to wait weeks for referrals. Life on hold follows six people as they navigate their way through mental health services. They tell us how they have coped, offer their experiences of support and set out their hopes for life post-lockdown.
Among them is Jessie, a frontline worker, who started experiencing anxiety while working to help those suffering from coronavirus. Matt’s ongoing battle with depression became worse after losing his job at the start of the pandemic, while Anjani, a student at Nottingham University struggled being thousands of miles away from her family in India. These are intimate stories of the widespread, but less publicised battle being played out as the world fought Covid 19.
Produced and Presented by Anna Hodges Technical Production by Mike Smith
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This was an impregnable fortress. The only way you get out was in a wooden box. |
| 0:05.0 | The controversial maximum security prison impossible to escape from. |
| 0:09.0 | And one of the duties of a political prisoner is the escape. |
| 0:12.0 | The IRA inmates who found a way. of a political prisoner is the escape. |
| 0:12.5 | The IRA inmates who found a way. |
| 0:14.5 | I'm Carlo Gableer and I'll be navigating a path |
| 0:19.5 | through the disturbing inside story of the biggest jailbreak in British and Irish history. |
| 0:25.0 | The narrative that they want is that this is a big achievement by them. |
| 0:28.5 | Escape from the maze, listen first on BBC Sounds. |
| 0:35.0 | BBC Sounds. |
| 0:36.0 | BBC Sounds, Music Radio Podcasts. |
| 0:39.0 | Welcome to Seriously from BBC Radio 4. |
| 0:42.0 | I'm Vanessa Kasule BBC Radio 4. I'm Vanessa Kasule. |
| 0:44.0 | Radio 4 is home to the world's best audio documentaries |
| 0:48.0 | and each week you'll find two hand-picked programs in this feed. |
| 0:52.0 | You're about to hear something seriously. hand-picked programs in this feed. |
| 0:52.6 | You're about to hear something seriously unforgettable. |
| 0:56.0 | You're through to burning healthy mines. |
| 1:02.4 | Our lines are healthy mines. Our |
| 1:04.0 | opening hours are between 9 a.m. to 4.30 p.m. |
| 1:08.0 | Monday to Friday, excluding bank holidays. |
| 1:10.0 | As the time's gone on, I've been wondering has the referral actually being received? |
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