Written by: THE BALANCE
Medically reviewed by Dr. Sarah Boss, MD
Last updated: January 20, 2026
Fact checked
Quick Summary
  • Depression, anxiety, PTSD, or addiction: all types of mental health issues are equally important and require professional treatment.
  • Luckily, if you are in the UK, myriad services are available for those seeking help.
  • The National Health Service (NHS), the government-funded institute to take care of your health, provides free healthcare to everyone covering mental health.
Reading time: 8 min

Depression, anxiety, PTSD, or addiction: all types of mental health issues are equally important and require professional treatment. Luckily, if you are in the UK, myriad services are available for those seeking help. The National Health Service (NHS), the government-funded institute to take care of your health, provides free healthcare to everyone covering mental health. In addition to the NHS, numerous support groups and charities are working independently to ensure that no one remains unsupported in times of crisis.

However, with the recent COVID-19 pandemic and its impacts on mental health, these services have come under severe stress. With long waiting lists in the NHS, sometimes ranging to months, people are finally seeking an alternative way out through private mental health clinics and hospitals.

While the NHS offers free of cost treatment or care for most of your mental health needs, you may decide to get a psychiatric assessment privately because of the reasons mentioned below:

Shorter Waiting Times

Due to a recent rise in mental health issues following the COVID-19 pandemic and the shortage of staff, seeking treatment in the NHS has become extremely difficult. Long waiting lists may require you to wait for months to get help. This may be inconvenient for people who are on the verge of crisis and opting for private treatment where support is available immediately seems like a better option.

A Choice of Where You Get Treatment

If you need treatment for your mental health through the NHS, you can only avail yourself of it in the area you live. The only exception to this rule is getting out-of-area care if there’s an emergency situation. On the contrary, you can easily choose the area where you wish to get treated if you decide to go private.

 A Specialist of Your Choice

In an NHS-based hospital, there are limited numbers of doctors and therapists to avail yourself services from, and in most cases, you do not have a say in who gets to treat you. On the contrary, seeking private treatment gives you an edge to choose a treatment provider of your choice. All you need to do is look up the internet or ask your GP about an expert who best fits your needs and criteria and start seeking their expertise in private.

Extensive Range of Treatment Modalities

Despite being the most extensive health care system in the UK, not even the NHS offers all treatments related to mental health. For instance, you may wish to seek a certain type of therapy that the NHS does not routinely offer. In such instances, seeking it privately seems like the next best option without wasting time.

Most private facilities in the UK are well-equipped with trained psychologists, therapists, psychiatrists, and other mental health professionals. Most of them are published experts in their relevant fields to provide evidence-based treatment to their clients for easy and fast recovery. The care plans curated in private mental health facilities are often flexible and highly personalized. This means that as a client, you will receive the best treatment according to your circumstances to maximise your chances of success.

The following treatment plans are routinely offered in most private hospitals in the UK:

Outpatient Mental Health Treatment

During this program, you will visit a private treatment center regularly to receive therapy for underlying mental health issues. Each session lasts for one-hour, following which you return home.

Day Care Programmes

This involves coming to the hospital on the appointed days each week for therapy.

Inpatient Treatment Programmes

Inpatient or residential treatment programmes require you to stay at a mental health hospital or a rehab for a specific duration of time. During the stay, you will be looked after round the clock and provided all necessary therapeutic care, including detox, therapies, etc. This type of program is usually suggested for patients who are highly unstable or pose a risk to their own safety or the safety of others and require medical and therapeutic assistance to get better.  

Depending on individual circumstances and requirements, most mental health care facilities working privately provide therapies in one or more of the following formats:

One-on-one therapy

This type of therapy takes place on an individual basis, and each session is conducted between you and your therapist with no third-person involvement.

Group Therapy

As the name indicates, group therapy is carried out in the form of small groups of patients who are going through similar issues or share a similar mental health diagnosis.

Family Therapy

Family therapy requires you and your family to work together to develop a sound understanding of your underlying mental health issue and work together towards recovery. The therapist works with both parties to ensure they understand and support each other in the future.

Online Therapy

This type of therapy is offered to people with busy routines who are unable to take time out of their daily life to visit a therapist in person. Hence, the sessions are conducted over the internet, usually through a video call which means that you can get the treatment while enjoying the comfort of your own home.

Couples Therapy

This type of therapy involves you and your partner under the supervision of a trained therapist. The aim is to help you communicate better with your better half, understand what effects your mental health issue can impose on your relationship and how to manage them together.

So you have decided to avail private mental health services? Good for you! But before you make any hasty decisions, there are some things you need to think about to avoid getting into trouble later.

The Cost of Treatment

Private health care is expensive in every part of the world. So before opting for it, make sure you know what you are getting into, how much it will cost, and how you plan to pay for it. Discussing it with your insurance company as well as the dedicated team of the hospital you are planning to get treatment at can be a good idea in this context.

The Accreditation of your Specialist

If you have decided to see a professional who offers mental health services privately, it is essential to enquire about their accreditations and qualifications. Being accredited means that they are registered with an official body that makes sure that the services these specialists provide have high standards. For example, all psychiatrists working in the UK, under NHS as well as in the private sectors, need to be registered with the General Medical Council to be eligible for practice.

The Quality of Service

Double-check to confirm if the private healthcare provider of your choice has adequate patient satisfaction scores. Look them up online and read reviews and reports relevant to them. Another way to ensure high quality is to check them in reference to the Care Quality Commission (CQC), an organization that publishes results of hospital inspections for both private and NHS facilities on their website.

FAQs

What is private mental health care?
Private mental health care refers to a sector of independent companies that work independently of the state to provide services related to mental health. These private companies offer specialist mental health treatments that may not be available in state-funded government clinics and hospitals. Unlike in public mental health care facilities, these therapies and treatments are not funded by the state but paid for by the patients from their own pockets.
What disorders are treated in private mental health care UK?
A typical private psychiatric hospital specialises in providing care and support for a number of mental health disorders and addictions. These may include but are not limited to:
Schizophrenia
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Psychosis
Drug and alcohol addiction
Bipolar disorder
Burnout
Depression
Anxiety
Personality disorders
Phobias
Eating disorders
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
Why should I consider availing of private mental health services in the UK?
While there are multiple benefits associated with availing private mental health care, you may consider it if:
 
You are not receiving enough support from your NHS- based GP
You are looking for a second opinion that a doctor in the NHS cannot provide
You wish to get help more quickly instead of anticipating for months on a waiting list
You want to avail a certain type of treatment that the public hospitals do not provide
You want intensive support or support for an extended period of time
How can I pay to get a private mental health diagnosis UK?
Private healthcare can be quite expensive, so if you are planning to avail it, it is advised to carefully evaluate how to afford it. The cost of therapy generally varies depending on the charges of the therapist you choose, the number of sessions you require, and how frequently you book it. While many private hospitals offer a sliding scale of payment to make treatment more affordable, you can consider the following two main options of payment:
 
Pay the health care provider directly. Before doing so, it is better to talk beforehand with the provider about the treatment cost. Some may offer a payment plan so that you can pay in instalments. Get private healthcare insurance that covers your treatment or a part of it. Remember that not all insurance plans cover psychiatric treatment, so check a policy carefully before opting for it.

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