MSPS listen as Karen’s campaign goes to Holyrood
A determined Lanarkshire woman who lost her partner to suicide led a demo at the Scottish Parliament recently.
Luke Henderson died in 2017 but had desperately asked for help up to eight times in the week before.
Karen Mckeown, 34, from Mossend near Bellshill, Luke’s partner and mum of his two children, has since been campaigning for a full review of Scotland’s mental health services and crisis support.
She says that Luke was failed in his hour of need by the health services and risk assessment. He was deemed “low risk” during an assessment the night before he died.
She was joined by other families bereaved by suicide at the Holyrood protest, demanding an urgent review of the services by the Scottish Government.
Karen submitted the petition two years ago which is currently being considered by the Scottish Parliament’s Citizen’s Participation and Public Petition Committee.
“The response I got from MSPS was very positive,” said Karen. “The demo was in support of the petition and hopefully when it comes back up at the committee they will agree to review mental health services.
“I’ve been campaigning for five years now since I lost my partner. After the first petition I submitted was closed I had to wait a year, and then submitted another which is almost the same.”
A number of the speakers at the demo wore t-shirts featuring the loved ones they had lost to suicide as they demanded action from MSPS, to help prevent others from taking their own lives in the future.
Karen continued: “I’m asking for accident and emergency mental health crisis support, more support for people affected by suicide, and mental health tool kits in schools. That’s always been the goals.
“Every day I ask myself if I’m going to make any difference. Although I’m determined, sometimes I wonder if it’s all falling on deaf ears. It’s ben five years and there’s been no real changes.
“But there is no way I will ever give up. “Sometimes I do feel as if I’m banging my head against a brick wall.”
To gain a better understanding of the mechanisms behind them Karen returned to college and is now at university studying social policies.
“The statistics for suicides for the last year are due out in June or July and I’m terrified to see what they will be this year,” Karen admitted.
“There was a big push to speak out and ask for help, but where are the services?”
The petition, which gathered over 1300 signatures and has been supported by Central Scotland MSP Monica Lennon, also calls for a full review of the support available to families bereaved by suicide.
The Scottish Labour and Co-op member has previously raised the issue at First Minister’s questions.
The MSP addressed the rally, and later said: “I pay tribute to the Lanarkshire families affected by the mental health crisis who made the important journey to the Scottish Parliament to make their voices heard
“I commend them for their courage and extend my condolences to everyone bereaved by suicide.
“Karen Mckeown’s petition is hugely important. I fully the support the campaign for an urgent and full review of mental health services because too many people are falling into crisis and too many are losing their lives to suicide.
“Last year at the committee’s hearing, Humza Yousaf agreed that there are failings in the system and that Karen’s family were let down by the system. Now, as First Minister he must act swiftly to solve this crisis.”
Karen has also raised her concerns previously in a meeting with Clare Haughey, when the Rutherglen MSP was Minister for Mental Health.
Prior to the demo Karen had said: “This isn’t just for Luke. I’m doing this for every other person who could possibly find themselves in this situation.”