England’s Mental Health Experiment: No-Cost Talk Therapy

England, “a nation culturally steeped in stoicism”, is developing a mental health care initiative for treating depression, anxiety and other mental issues through open-ended talk therapy, when also the best treatment course is decided.

“It’s not just that they’re enhancing access to care, but that they’re being accountable for the care that’s delivered,” said Karen Cohen, chief executive of the Canadian Psychological Association, which has been advocating a similar system in Canada. “That is what makes the effort so innovative and extraordinary.”

I think another merit of this program is that it’s destigmatizing mental illness and placing it on the same level of importance as physical illness. And that can be seen in the testimonies of people quoted in the article, who have used the program. Also, the fact that you have the option of doing online or phone therapy is helpful, because some people, especially young men, are more reluctant to do face-to-face sessions.

On the downside, the program uses mostly cognitive behavioral therapy, which is not always the best option for everybody, and the demand for help is so high that therapists are now overloaded with work, so the waiting lists for getting treatment are growing.