Quarter of missing people in Shropshire have mental health problems

More than a quarter of all people reported missing to West Mercia Police in 2017 had a diagnosed mental illness, the charity said.

Last year 2,186 missing persons reports were filed and of those, 623 people were known to have a mental health flag on their record.

Heather Ireland, the manager of Shropshire Mind, said she was not surprised.

"These figures are disturbing but not surprising given the number of people who use our service," she said.

"On a daily basis we support approximately 40 people within Shropshire Mind, via email and telephone and this figure is ever increasing."

The charity, based in Shrewsbury, provides a diverse range of quality services across the county for the one in four people and their families acknowledged to be affected by mental or emotional distress.

Support

"We want to prevent somebody going missing by having the right resources with immediate access for any person within Shropshire," Mrs Ireland said.

"It is because of this increase that the Shropshire Sanctuary was commissioned. It has been operational since last June to provide immediate support to a person with their poor mental health in a time of crisis, out of hours.

"It may be that for some people that getting away from everything is their way of coping, they may feel that they will not burden their loved ones with their illness and simply leave."

Between January and May 31 this year, 802 people were reported missing and all bar two have been found. Of those, 275 struggle with their mental health.

Mrs Ireland added: "We would urge anyone who is feeling unwell or not coping mentally to seek help at the earliest possible time, visit their GP, share their issues with someone.

"There are many helplines offering support and guidance and of course Shropshire Mind or the Samaritans are available seven days each week."

Useful contacts:

Help and advice for those having a mental health crisis is available from a number of agencies in Shropshire:

• The Samaritans - 116 123 or samaritans.org

• Shropshire Mind - 01743 368647

• Access Service for Adult Mental Health - 03001 240365

• Missing People charity - 116 000