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1 November 2016updated 09 Sep 2021 1:27pm

The long wait for mental health therapy is deadly – as my family found out

Labour MP Karl Turner on NHS waiting times, and a personal tragedy. 

By Karl Turner

Last week, I asked the Prime Minister what she was doing to alleviate the crisis that many mental health patients face when trying to access much needed talking therapies and counselling. 

Last year, at just 25, my nephew Matty sadly took his own life after a brief but severe bout of depression and anxiety. After getting a referral from a GP, Matty was told that he would have to wait around six months for his first appointment. The wait was too long. 

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