New mental health helpline offers direct consultation with trained practitioners as UK’s mental health experts call for urgent research and support
Smart TMS helpline represents one of the only support lines offering immediate, direct consultation with trained practitioners
Helpline launches amidst calls from the UK’s top psychiatrists for urgent research and added support, following devastating mental wellbeing effects of Covid-19 pandemic
A report released by the BBC has detailed the widespread concerns of Britain’s leading mental health experts, who have stated that the Coronavirus pandemic will have a devastating effect on the nation’s mental health. A variety of the nation’s top psychologists and psychiatrists have warned of the impact of Covid-19 on our mental wellbeing, calling for urgent research to better assess the psychological fallout brought about by the virus. According to the experts, the priorities must be to monitor rates of anxiety, depression, self-harm, suicide and other mental-health issues brought on or exacerbated by the pandemic, as anecdotal police reports have already suggested a rise in the number of reported mental health incidents and attempted suicides.
In light of this, depression and anxiety specialists Smart TMS have launched a free mental health helpline to provide support for those struggling with mental health concerns brought about by Covid-19.
The helpline provides callers with an opportunity to directly book up to five 30-minute appointments with one of Smart TMS’ qualified mental health practitioners, and receive support and advice on how to manage their mental health concerns. Callers can book an appointment on their first call and receive consultation with a practitioner as early as the next day. This provides a vital alternative to oversubscribed NHS talking therapies and other charity helplines – this comes as the mental health charity Mind reports that the waiting list for cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and other talking therapies on the NHS is typically several weeks, with over half of patients waiting up to 3 months to access support and one in 10 waiting for over a year.
Smart TMS Mental Health Support Helpline
UK: +44 (0) 20 3855 4578
Ireland: +353 1 592 3560
Lines open Monday – Friday, 9am – 5pm
The first hour of the helpline’s opening hours also represent a priority hour for NHS workers whose mental health has been impacted whilst working to stem the virus outbreak.
credit: London Corporate Photography
Gerard Barnes, CEO of Smart TMS, discusses the impact of Coronavirus on the UK’s mental wellbeing and comments on the launch of Smart TMS’ helpline: “The Coronavirus pandemic is forcing people to face a variety of difficult situations. Extreme isolation and loneliness, job losses, mounting debt, and the loss of close friends are family are all realities which are being faced by millions across the UK, and there will be many individuals who must contend with a combination of these consequences. Enduring the impact of such harrowing situations is likely to bring about considerable trauma for many individuals and may lead to the development or exacerbation of depression, chronic anxiety and stress, and in some cases symptoms of PTSD, as people will experience a series of damaging blows to their mental wellbeing in quick succession.
Given that the country-wide lockdown and isolation policies may last for several months, it is vital that we at Smart TMS and the wider mental health community begin to act now by providing added support and resources to those most in need during this unprecedented and uncertain time. We are proud to offer free mental health support to people across the country whose mental health has been adversely affected by the outbreak of the Coronavirus, and are committed to helping the country cope with the fallout brought about by Coronavirus.
The importance of mental health support at the current time cannot be overstated, especially given early police reports of increased mental health incidents already. The NHS has also been under immense pressure and this will only increase as we move towards the peak of the Covid-19 outbreak. That is why we are looking to offer other avenues of mental health support, and also to provide an hour of priority support to NHS workers who may be struggling themselves with the mental wellbeing implications of Coronavirus.”
About Smart TMS
Smart TMS are the UK and Ireland’s leading provider of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) therapy, an innovative and non-invasive technique to effectively treat a range of mental health problems, including depression, chronic anxiety, OCD, PTSD and many more. Smart TMS have been dedicated to helping people overcome their mental health challenges by providing TMS therapy since 2015, and are now committed to providing further support via their free phone support service as the circumstances surrounding the Coronavirus pandemic develop.
