Kids aren’t given help until they are in crisis

KYLE solman missed months of school for two successive years as he battled mental health problems.

Kyle, 12, has tried to take his own life on four separate occasions but he has finally got the medication he needs to help him cope.

he missed swathes of P6 and P7 and still has his bad days when he is unable to face going to school.

his mum Kirsty, 41, from drumchapel, Glasgow, said his ongoing problems are due to Kyle not getting help early enough.

she said: “We couldn’t fault his primary school, they did everything they physically could within what they have got available to them but, to be honest, with the budget available to schools, that isn’t a lot.”

Kirsty battled for years to get him help and said: “our kids don’t make the criteria for CAMHS (children and adolescent Mental health services) until they are way past that crisis point. CAMHS are now trying to play catch-up because he was left so long with nothing in place.

“if they had dealt with it when we first presented and said there was a problem, we wouldn’t have got to the point where four times he didn’t want to be here, that he has dissociation disorder now.

“all of that likely wouldn’t have happened if they had put in the intervention in the very early stages.”

Kirsty is angered at the scottish Government’s decision to slice £30million from the mental health budget.

she said: “it was unacceptable that only 10 per cent of the entire health budget was spent on mental health anyway but i can’t believe they reduced that down to seven per cent while our children are drowning.”