The ongoing privatization of healthcare and the changing nature of employment relations mean that good psychological therapy is now only available to those who can afford it

As unemployment rises and the economic situation shows little sign of improving, it should come as no surprise that mental health in the UK is deteriorating. In the fifth article of her continuing series on public policy, work, and mental health, Elizabeth Cotton argues that at the time when they are under the greatest pressure, the expected cuts to mental health services will make it even harder for those who need therapy to get the help they require.
It has taken decades of campaigning, with some help from American television, to shift the UK’s attitudes towards therapy. Now that we’ve finally understood the importance of therapeutic help, what are the chances of getting it? With an employment relations system more frightening than the industrial revolution combined with ineffectual call centres, will psychological therapies survive the recession?