MORE people are being sectioned under the Mental Health Act in Dorset.
A data 'snapshot' for Dorset HealthCare, via NHS Digital, shows that on March 31 this year around 270 were sectioned, up from 245 at the same time in 2017.
The increase reflects a national trend, which the Royal College of Psychiatrists says is partly due to people waiting too long to receive help.
Its president Wendy Burn said: "More people being detained under the Mental Health Act represents more people with mental illness reaching crisis point. The reasons behind that are complex.
"What we do know is that people are waiting far too long to get help."
A poll conducted by the college found 24 per cent of people diagnosed with a mental health condition reported waiting more than three months to see an NHS mental health specialist, and six per cent waited more than a year.
The college has called for more trained psychiatrists to be made available.
In total, the Act was used on 49,551 occasions across England in 2017-18, an increase of 2.4 per cent on the previous year. Some people will have been detained more than once.
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