The need for healthcare professionals to study clinical psychiatry courses in the transformation of mental health care

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a major effect on people’s lives and has been an incredibly difficult time for everyone. But what impact has the pandemic had on mental health? Fear, worry, stress and loneliness are just a few of the consequences of the recent pandemic, all of which have contributed to the poor mental health of many people, leading to a global mental health crisis. Now, with coronavirus cases under control and restrictions eased, how can we transform the future of mental health care?

Less people seeking help

Mental health services have been severely underfunded for years prior to the pandemic and now, two years of lockdown and restrictions have led to significant mental health consequences - especially in young people. During the pandemic, the number of people seeking support for mental illness were low. However, according to the National Institute for Health and Care Research, there is evidence to suggest that levels of depression, anxiety and self-harm increased during the pandemic. This indicates that people were not seeking appropriate help for their mental health during the pandemic. But why? Lack of face-to-face support, fear of contracting the virus, concerns of putting extra strain on healthcare systems that were already overwhelmingly busy are some of the factors to consider.

More people choosing medication over talking therapies

The lack of face-to-face support along with growing waiting lists in the UK that pre-date the pandemic led to those who did seek help to be prescribed medication over talking therapies. In the first lockdown of the COVID-19 pandemic, four million more prescriptions for antidepressants were issued between January and December 2020 than the same period in 2019. WHO now estimates more than a billion people around the world are living with a mental health disorder - a quarter more than before the pandemic. Anxiety and depression cases have also increased, rising more than 25% in the first year of the pandemic alone.

Your input is vital

With more and more people being prescribed medication to help with their mental health problems, healthcare professionals are rapidly needed to support clinical care practitioners to make appropriate decisions and recommendations. This demand requires you to have up to date knowledge and skills needed to be able to confidently, efficiently and effectively diagnose, manage and safely prescribe your patients the medication needed to stop their suffering and treat their conditions. You also need to be prepared to handle the backlog of patients suffering with a range of different mental health conditions and provide the best possible care to patients whose support has been restricted.

Our Clinical Psychiatry courses

The pandemic has pushed masses of healthcare professionals beyond their ability, with their workload being too heavy to also complete training. Now is the time to improve your knowledge and best prepare yourself to deal with patients suffering with mental health disorders.

Our flexible Clinical Psychiatry courses will benefit healthcare professionals working in fields supplementary to psychiatry and those likely to come into contact with psychiatric illness on a regular basis. Upon completion of our course you'll be up to date with new classifications, treatments and assessments that integrate psychological and social sciences, demonstrate how the field links to others and have an understanding of how the Capacity Acts and Mental Health Act influence delivery of services and the implications for you as a healthcare professional.

This university-validated course is delivered 100% online, so you can fit your studies around your practice. The flexible nature of the programme means you can conveniently update your knowledge alongside your day job and apply your newly acquired knowledge and skills to your practice immediately. Our course fees are some of the most affordable on the market, and we offer multiple payment options including adaptable, interest-free payment plans to help you spread the cost across your studies. This makes our clinical psychiatry courses completely accessible to healthcare professionals worldwide.

Career progression is also possible when you successfully complete our clinical psychiatry courses, and you will receive a full degree awarded by The University of South Wales. Adding this to your portfolio will not only boost your prospects amongst your peers, but will also equip you with the essential knowledge and skills needed to tackle this critical situation.

Are you ready to play your part in the fight to end the global mental health crisis? Find out more and apply for our Clinical Psychiatry Postgraduate Diploma or MSc.

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