Patients with mental illnesses are left languishing for months on "hidden" waiting lists by England's NHS talking therapy service, the BBC can reveal.

One such patient is Paul Williams, who was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder following a violent incident he was involved with as a police officer in Devon.

He had to retire on medical grounds from the service in 2013 and turned to Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) for help.

While waiting for therapy, he tried to take his own life.

If you are affected by any of the issues in this story you can contact BBC Action Line for more information about support services.

Mentally ill 'spend months on hidden waiting list'