People with mental health problems in England are becoming more unwell while waiting to access talking treatments, with one in six attempting suicide, mental health charities and practitioners have found.
The We Need to Talk coalition found that a significant number of people are waiting unacceptable amounts of time for treatment and that two-thirds said they suffered a deterioration in their mental health in the meantime, while 40% said they had self-harmed.
The coalition said a full range of evidence-based psychological therapies should be available to everyone who needs them within 28 days of requesting a referral.
The coalition chair, Paul Farmer, said: "Far too many are facing unacceptably long waits or are struggling to even get a referral. This simply isn't good enough."
An online survey of more than 2,000 people who had tried to access therapy in the past two years found that one in 10 had waited over a year between referral and assessment, while 41% had waited more than three months.
The care and support minister, Norman Lamb, said: "Nationally, 62% of people referred for talking therapies are treated within 28 days but we know there is more to do, which is why we're introducing access and waiting time standards for mental health from next year."
