The number of referrals to specialist NHS mental health care in England reached a record high by the end of 2021, according to an analysis.
The Royal College of Psychiatrists says the pandemic has resulted in unprecedented demand and backlogs and services are struggling to keep up.
According to NHS Digital, there were 4.3 million referrals in 2021 for conditions like anxiety and depression.
Just under a quarter – 1.025 million – were for children or young people.
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In each of the previous two years, around 3.8 million recommendations were recorded.
The college said the NHS carried out 1.8million mental health consultations in December 2021 as the Omicron variant of Covid-19, first identified in South Africa, spread across the UK.
But an estimated 1.4 million people were still waiting for treatment.
And hundreds of adults have been sent far from home for treatment because of a shortage of beds in their area.
president dr Adrian James said: “While the pressure on services continues to mount, the government’s silence remains of great concern to the College, the entire mental health workforce and, most importantly, our patients.
“The warning about the long consequences of mental illness caused by the pandemic went unheeded.
“Many thousands of people will have to wait far too long for the treatment they need if the government doesn’t wake up and grasp the crisis that is gripping the country.
“Staff are working flat out to give their patients the support they need, but the lack of resources and staff is making it an impossible situation to manage.
“We don’t need warm words or empty promises.
“We need a fully funded mental health services plan, backed by a long-term workforce plan, as the country copes with the biggest blow to its mental health in generations.”
A Government spokesman said: “We are committed to ensuring everyone has access to the help and advice they need, which is why we are investing in mental health services by 2023/24 on top of the £2.3bn a year that we have set aside for £500m made available to deal with the impact of the pandemic.
“We will initiate a national conversation to share the development of a new long-term mental health plan later this year.”
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