Referrals to mental-health services rose 22 per cent between 2019 and 2022 – no great surprise given the pandemic – but rather than improving since then, one in four of us now face a mental-health issue each year. The associated impact costs UK employers more than £50 billion a year, and there are 1.8 million people on NHS waiting lists for mental-health services. Waiting lists for those referred for counselling or talking therapy can, in some areas, be months long.