Mental health access frustration for deaf people

Deaf people are twice as likely to suffer mental health problems than those with hearing, a report has found.

The All Wales Deaf Mental Health and Wellbeing Group said help in Wales was behind the rest of the UK and it wants to see significant improvements.

It also described the inequalities faced by deaf people trying to access mental health support as "really frustrating".

The Welsh government said it would consider the findings of the report.

Ffion Griffiths, 23, from Neath, has been deaf since birth, and accessing child and adolescent mental health services in Wales has been a problem over the years. She had to travel to England to get the support she needed.

"It's really frustrating because deaf people in England have more opportunities," she said. It means they can be treated and get better quicker but for us, how can we do that?"

"How can we expect to recover if we don't have access to the services or any pathways for us to follow to get the treatment that we need in Wales?"

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Source: BBC News, 8 December 2021