How many more lives will be lost in the mental health crisis?

Tragic scenes unfolded last week when an American tourist was stabbed to death and five others injured after a 19-year-old suffering from mental health problems went on a knife rampage in central London.

Zacharia Bulhan was tasered at the scene and arrested.

It emerged that in recent months paramedics had been called several times to the teen’s home as he threatened to kill himself and senior police officers confirmed mental health issues had played a significant role in the attack.

The terrifying stabbing comes after a spate of similar attacks and has highlighted calls for more funding for mental health care to prevent such tragedies happening.

The demand for mental health services has risen a staggering 20 per cent in the last five years, while mental health service budgets were cut by eight per cent.

Gulsen Alkan, 39, knows the pain of losing a loved one to an attack carried out by a mentally ill person.

In December last year, her husband Justin, 61, was stabbed to death by paranoid schizophrenic Trevor Joyce in Poundland as he shopped for balloons for their three-year-old twins.

Joyce, 36, had been diagnosed with schizophrenia in 2003. He was sectioned in June last year for a month and was admitted to a mental health centre again in October. But he was released within a week against his doctor's advice.

Gulsen, from Oxfordshire, is now raising their twins alone and wants more done to prevent similar tragedies.

She says: “I was horrified when I heard about the stabbing in Russell Square. How many more innocent people will be killed before action is taken?

"There needs to be more spent on resources for mental illness and better communication between mental health services and police to stop other senseless deaths.

“Justin was killed on my birthday so that day has been destroyed forever. I’ve lost my friend as well the love of my life. I wouldn’t want anyone else to suffer this pain.”

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If you're worried about mental health visit: www.sane.org.uk