A Belfast woman has spoken of recovering from a mental health crisis triggered by the stress of the pandemic.
Megan Finn (27) suffered from psychosis when Covid restrictions made the stress of keeping her beauty business and young family going seem impossible.
Now fully recovered, she said the vital support she received will not be possible for others without addressing a “crisis” in mental health funding.
Although Northern Ireland has a 10-year mental health strategy, a new report from The Royal College of Psychiatrists NI has said current funding stands at £15.5 million, “a far cry” from the £76.7m required - covering only a fifth (20.2%) of the costs.
Ms Finn said she had been on honeymoon in Spain in 2022 when she first became unwell.
Detained in Craigavon Hospital when she returned home, she was then transferred to the mental health inpatient centre at Belfast City Hospital.
It was the first time she ever experienced psychosis, triggered by a combination of the pandemic, wedding planning, running a business and being a mother to two young children.
Recovered after treatment, she is now about to start a new job as a peer support worker helping others in similar positions.
She is also receiving help from the Early Intervention Service helping people under 30 to maintain good mental health in the community.
This includes bi-weekly visits from her mental health nurse, allowing her to pick up on any early warning signs to prevent a relapse - but this service is not available in all parts of Northern Ireland.
“What happened to me can happen to anyone really. My psychosis was brought on with stress from the pandemic and what affect it had on my beauty business and burnout,” she said.
To all community and voluntary groups providing mental health support in NI, please share and respond to this survey. https://t.co/n0i5j1qLtS
— Mental Health Champion for NI (@MHC_NI) January 20, 2025
“It was a scary time for me and my family who had never experienced psychosis before. I’m now fully recovered, but the Early Intervention Team help to minimise any relapse.
“I am really lucky in that I honestly don’t know what I would have done without them. It’s a service really needed across Northern Ireland, and not just in Belfast.”
Feeling she would not have been able to cope without the service, she worries about how others across Northern Ireland will manage.
The RCPsych NI team have launched the Time to Bridge The Gaps report, looking at the significant shortfalls in the Mental Health Strategy delivery.
Northern Ireland also has the worst psychiatry vacancy rate in the UK as not enough psychiatrists are being trained due to lack of investment.
The college has called on the Department of Health to make several interventions including the prioritisation of a recruitment campaign, increasing training places and making sure services like early intervention teams are fully staffed across Northern Ireland.
Dr Julie Anderson, chair of RCPsych NI, said: “Psychiatry in Northern Ireland is at crisis point and it’s clear there is a significant gap between the growing demand for services and the profession’s ability to meet that demand.
“The situation cannot be allowed to go on because it’s having serious implications for patients, mental health professionals and the overall reputation of the profession itself.
“With unprecedented demand on services we need immediate action to address the current shortfall in psychiatry staffing, however this will not be enough to provide a future-proofed service which is fit for purpose.
“Urgency is the key. That is why we’re looking for a long-term plan to be put in place now – before it’s too late.”
