Victims shouldn’t suffer in silence

NICOLA Sturgeon knows young people are under more pressure than ever.

And by speaking about her experience of school bullying, she hopes they will be encouraged to talk openly.

Sturgeon’s comments are timely. She has struggled to keep on top of growing demands on mental health services and in Parliament last week, she admitted failings.

Bullying can be a major trigger of wider problems.

The exposure of social media and the constant demand to live up to celebrity image myths also take their toll.

Young people are the ones often struggling to navigate these obstacles.

The wider point Sturgeon is getting at applies to everyone.

At school, at work, in the corridors of power, or anywhere else – bullying should not have to be tolerated.

And anyone on the receiving end should feel free to speak up and know there’s someone there to listen.

That might be a trained counsellor or someone in the workplace who has a clear system in place to address problems.

No one should feel they have to bottle up their emotions.

Sturgeon said her experiences weren’t so bad that they put her off school. If they had, her career may have turned out very differently.

The Government must live up to their ideals and maintain a dependable system for the good of Scotland’s mental health.