Changing Minds: The mental health stories making the headlines
ITV News Health Editor Rachel Younger reports
As our Changing Minds series on mental health comes to an end, we take a look back at the stories which made the headlines this week.
Revealed: Millions slashed from mental health budgets
Mental health services for children and young people in England were cut by £35 million last year, despite a government commitment to transform mental health care, ITV News exclusively revealed at the start of the week.
Research undertaken by leading children’s mental health charity YoungMinds also showed that since George Osborne became Chancellor five years ago, a total of £85 million has been lost from the budgets of mental health trusts and local authorities.
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Urgent action needed to repair mental health care system 'in crisis'
After attending the funeral of a friend who took her own life, ITV News Presenter Mark Austin discussed the "crisis" facing the mental health care system.
Speaking of hearing the eulogy written by his friend's daughter, Mark wrote, "It was heartbreaking, but yet also shed a light on how mental illness continues to claim lives and destroy families in our country."
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Breaking the taboo: One girl's life with mental illness
At the age of 22, Grace Jeremy finally has control over most of the mental health issues which plagued her throughout her teens.
She opened up to ITV News to reveal what life with a mental illness was like and how she finally got the help she needed.
She told us that cuts to mental health services could spell a "death sentence" for many.
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Mental health nurses join forces with police patrols
A pilot scheme sending police officers out on patrol with specially-trained mental health nurses has proved such a success it is being rolled out across the country.
Originally launched by the Department of Health at nine forces in a bid to reduce the numbers being taken into protective custody, more than 20 others have now decided to fund the street triage teams.
Our Health Editor Rachel Younger spent the day with the team at Sussex Police.
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Night in cell for suicidal young woman turned away by three hospitals
A young woman who was suicidal told us how she was treated like a "common criminal" after spending a night in a police cell.
Police officers came to her aid after support workers became concerned for her welfare - but after trying three different hospitals and repeatedly being turned away due to shortages of beds and staff, they had no choice but to take her into custody for her own safety.
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Young patients talk about their mental health experience
Past and present patients at a young persons' mental health unit spoke to us about their experiences battling issues from anorexia to depression.
Cerys Grainger, Raymond Piper and Jamal Ajala were among those who told us their stories.
Raymond Piper, 14, left a mental health unit a week ago after spending six months there for treatment for anorexia. At his lowest point, Raymond says he was so full of despair that he "didn't care about life".
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Minister admits 'postcode lottery' in mental health care
The government minister in charge of mental health has admitted there is still a 'postcode lottery' on the standard of care provided.
Alistair Burt said he had followed our Changing Minds series and the government is "seeing progress" on the issue of mental health.
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