Stacey Dooley: Back on the Psych Ward

BBC

13 Apr

Around 1 in 4 of us will suffer from a mental health condition, with 75% of those experiencing mental health issues by their 18th birthday. The UCL Covid-19 Social Study of 90,000 adults found that young people have been particularly badly affected by anxiety and depression during the pandemic.

Mental health across society has worsened since the pandemic began. Stacey Dooley returns to Springfield Hospital, and over six months, including the second nationwide lockdown, works with the team to experience first hand how the pandemic is impacting patients in crisis. Stacey assists staff as they treat a wide range of mental health conditions, and takes part in the tough decisions necessary to keep patients safe.

Stacey meets Coral, who is brought into Springfield by the police one night after attempting to take her life. Coral tells Stacey and the team about her long-running battle with anxiety and depression which she attempts to self-medicate by drinking alcohol.

The pandemic has seen a rise in suicidal behaviour especially amongst young people. Stacey meets Oskar, a 20-year-old university student whose struggle with intense suicidal thoughts brings him into the hospital in crisis.

For those with pre-existing mental health conditions, waiting lists and delays to treatment caused by the pandemic are pushing them to breaking point. Suziee is diagnosed with Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder, which causes extreme highs and lows to her moods. But with her therapy now cancelled, she is struggling to cope on her own and turns to the hospital for help.

Stacey also gets to know 21-year-old Ali, an inpatient at Springfield, which is home to the only inpatient unit of its kind in the country for those with severe Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) . Since childhood, Ali’s OCD rituals have changed from repetitive tapping during stressful exams, and blinking to keep her parents safe in the car, to extreme bathroom routines. For severe OCD cases like Ali’s, this ward is her last chance at beating this devastating condition, and over the months Stacey sees a dramatic change in Ali’s obsessions.

Useful Links/More info

For more information about OCD and phobia, please visit TOP UK, The OCD and Phobia Charity

Obsessive Compulsive Disorders

All You Want to Know about OCD for People Living with OCD, Carers, and Clinicians.

by Lynne M. Drummond, South West London and St George's Mental Health NHS Trust Assisted by Laura J. Edwards.

This book examines the evidence for and potential role of a range of treatment methods, from CBT to pharmacological approaches. It asks what an individual can do to help themselves, and how friends and relatives can assist in the recovery process. Although firmly based in clinical research, it is written in a jargon-free and accessible style to help provide deep understanding of the disorder. Personal narratives and case studies of people living with OCD feature to illustrate points, and the book considers emerging research and the future of approaches to OCD. Built upon decades of experience, this guide will inform and support adults and young people living with OCD, as well as carers, families and health professionals.

RUNTIME:
59 Minutes

PRODUCER:
Carla Grande
Katie Rice
Erica Jenkin

DIRECTOR:
Katie Rice
Erica Jenkin

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER:
Brian Woods

RELEASED:
2021