Police call outs related to mental health increase across Lincolnshire

This trend has been exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic and multiple lockdowns across the UK, Lincolnshire Police said.

Chief Constable Chris Haward said he is expecting further increases in mental health reports as the county leaves lockdown.

Mr Haward said: “Whilst we can respond to the initial crisis, it’s actually how do we deal with those people in crisis once the police have been, and how do we engage mental health practitioners, how do we engage with the NHS and how do we work as a partnership to try and help these people who are so vulnerable?”

Young people appeared to be hit more disproportionately than anybody else, he said.

“As an emergency service, we’ve got to be there to help with that but we’ve also got to be mindful that there is a wider response that is required here from our health partners, ambulance services and our local authorities about what that care might look like in the community,” he added.

According to the World Health Organisation, before the pandemic hit, one billion people lived with a mental health issue.

More than 264 million people worldwide were affected by depression, and suicide was the second-leading cause of death among young people.

The physical toll of the coronavirus pandemic has been headline news for more than a year, a gruesome daily tally of lives lost. But the waves of psychological illness, less visible, have been similarly catastrophic.Loneliness has been just one of the defining feature of the COVID-19 pandemic for many.

Also, for many of the health workers, the bleak reality of their daily battle and exhausting days is understandably taking its toll on mental illness. Not to mention job losses and the impact on the younger generation missing school and impacting their daily lives.