A stigma that kills

As an alliance of organisations campaigning to improve mental health services for children and young people, we share the concerns of the Mental Health Foundation that loneliness is creating mental health

problems among tens of thousands of young people across Scotland (4 January).

New research by the charity has found that more than half of 18 to 24 year olds experience depression when they feel lonely, with 42 per cent

saying it leads to anxiety and 67 per cent saying their mental health worsens as a result of feeling lonely.

As we are aware, loneliness can contribute to stress, anxiety, depression, paranoia and cognitive decline, and it is a well-known factor in suicide. It can be both a cause and effect of mental health problems.

Worryingly, the stigma of loneliness remains the greatest barrier to seeking help as 46 per cent say they would be too embarrassed to talk about it and 52 per cent feel they ought to cope with the problem themselves. In addition, around 30 per cent wouldn’t speak to their GP or another health professional about it. This suggests that tens of thousands of young people could be living with undiagnosed mental health problems.

The Scottish Government has made this year the “Year of Young People”, but if it is to genuinely deliver on this it must place health and wellbeing at the heart of the school curriculum; invest in schoolbased counselling services, and give teachers the training they need to create inclusive environments and explore mental health. THE SCOTTISH CHILDREN’S

SERVICES COALITION:

TOM MCGHEE Chairman, Spark of Genius

DUNCAN DUNLOP Chief Executive, Who Cares?

Scotland STUART JACOB Director, Falkland House School

NIALL KELLY Managing Director, Young

Foundations