More than 1 in 20 islanders are either receiving or waiting for mental health services, a Tynwald committee has heard.
Ross Bailey, General Manager of the Integrated Mental Health Service, revealed the figure, describing it as “shocking”.
He said: “Now that that doesn’t mean we have, we have an epidemic of mental health on the Isle of Man any more so than we experience elsewhere.
“But what it does demonstrate is we’ve got the services in the wrong place or the wrong places.”
Households
Mr Bailey stated that children from the poorest households are four times more likely to experience serious mental health difficulties by age 11.
He confirmed the caseload for Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) has increased by 96% since 2020, noting, “we see significant issues where we see families with low income, with clear poverty massively over represented within our caseload”.
Trends
The committee was told the department’s data systems cannot precisely extract poverty-related data, but officials confirmed the Island’s trends align with the UK.
In response, a new ‘Talk Service’ was launched in June to improve access. Mr Bailey the government has “been enormously successful in that regard,” with waiting times for many now under 10 days.
The Minister for Health and Social Care, Claire Christian also highlighted the critical role of housing, saying: “Having access to safe and warm, affordable housing really does play an integral factor.”
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