What is behind our mental health pandemic?
The News Agents
Global
4.1 • 5.4K Ratings
🗓️ 11 September 2023
⏱️ 50 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
*CW: This episode contains discussions about suicide*
More than a hundred of you - our listeners - have been in touch to share your own experiences with mental health care (or lack of it) in this country.
Collectively, you paint a picture of a system in crisis, a pandemic particularly amongst the young which we cannot deal with.
We hear from Roman Kemp - who's called on the government to put mental health provision in all our schools.
And we talk to those working on the front line who offer their understanding of brain chemistry - where it's going wrong and what's happening in our society.
Samaritans have helplines open to all callers including young people 24/7. They also respond to emails and have an online chat system that uses volunteers and not bots. You can find Samaritans by calling 116 123.
Editor: Tom Hughes
Senior Producer: Gabriel Radus
Producer: Laura FitzPatrick
Planning Producer: Alex Barnett
Social Media Editor: Georgia Foxwell
Video Producer: Will Gibson-Smith
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The News Agents is a Global Player Original and a Persephonica Production.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | The Newsagents podcast is brought to you by HSBC UK, opening up a world of opportunity. |
| 0:06.1 | Hi there, just a note to say that this episode contains some content people might find triggering, |
| 0:10.9 | including mentions of suicide and struggles with mental health. |
| 0:16.1 | This is a global player original podcast. |
| 0:19.8 | It's such a difficult area for me to talk from because I am the definition of Silver Spoon. |
| 0:28.1 | Like, I am the definition of privileged. |
| 0:31.1 | Like, I cannot tell you. |
| 0:32.4 | I had every hug that a son could get from their mum and dad. My parents are still together. I grew up. I went to private schools. I got every present, every, you know, birthday, Christmas, anything I ever wanted. And yet there I was in a position where I felt like, uh, pointless me being here. I didn't want to be here anymore. And it wasn't for me. Life wasn't really for me. |
| 1:00.6 | That was Roman Kemp. He's the host of the Capital Breakfast Show, celebrity, a presenter. And as he describes, one of the most privileged people alive. He's a man who seems when you meet him totally |
| 1:12.4 | happy in his own skin. He's articulate. He's loved. He's sociable. But those words he uses at the end, |
| 1:19.9 | life wasn't really for me, kind of punch you in the stomach. It's him describing what depression |
| 1:26.7 | would feel like. And today we're going to hear |
| 1:29.9 | from Roman, who's called on the government to do more to support mental health services in our |
| 1:34.9 | schools. And we've been hearing from you, our listeners, who've got in touch with their own |
| 1:40.9 | experiences of what deep depression does to a life. |
| 1:44.8 | I'm a 17-year-old who struggles with symptoms of OCD and anxiety. |
| 1:49.8 | I've been on a waiting list for several months to receive support for this |
| 1:53.7 | and haven't heard back at all since the initial consultation. |
| 1:57.5 | I'm 25 and I've been struggling with anxiety, depression and unstable mood since I was 13. |
| 2:08.6 | I am currently on a waiting list for a waiting list. So once I have this assessment that I've |
| 2:16.8 | been waiting a year for, I have to wait another year and then I'll get the actual therapy that I'm waiting for. |
| 2:23.6 | So on today's episode, we're asking what's behind our mental health pandemic and where's the help? |
... |
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