Charity boss warns of mental health crisis
A mental health support group has warned that West Lothian is currently being hit by a “mental health tsunami”.
SMILE Counselling in Bathgate say enquiries have quadrupled since May and they need help to continue to deliver their service.
Declan Harrigan, CEO at SMILE, said: “My concern is that we may risk losing more young lives to suicide if we cannot offer the support they need when they need it.
“Waiting lists are getting longer for statutory services, which in turn creates an ever- increasing dependence on the voluntary sector.
“As a charity we have never been more needed than we are right now, yet we have also never felt more vulnerable due funding challenges.
“On a daily basis we have both young people and parents on the phone pleading for help, many in tears of desperation looking for support. I answer many of these calls myself and it is utterly heart breaking. We simply cannot allow this to happen to our community.
“Sadly, what we are seeing now is only the beginning of the mental health tsunami that is fast approaching.”
Declan says in recent months the number of young clients presenting with suicidal thoughts and ideation has increased to one in four – and from as young as age 11.
Children and young people are presenting with drastically increased levels of social anxiety, fear of dying from the virus and fear of socio- economic implications at home such as job losses and homelessness.
Declan continued: “As a local service working on the frontline of youth mental health in West Lothian, we need the funding and support from those in power to empower us to deliver this critical work within our community.
“We need the means to reach those who are the most affected and vulnerable.
“As a result of Covid-19 we have had a lot of young people being unable to take up digital counselling due to being from areas of multiple deprivation and not having a laptop, tablet or broadband.
“Counselling and mental health support should not be a luxury, only to be accessed by those who have the technological means to do so. It needs to be accessible to everyone otherwise we risk losing people.
“We want to be able to support these vulnerable young people who have no online access without putting them at risk of Covid-19 by having to use public transport to visit us. Many young people may also not have the funds to do this which isolates them further.
“Our hope is to have a mobile counsellor who will work across West Lothian, specifically focusing on areas of deprivation and offering free counselling support to children and young people from these areas in agreed partnership centres.
“However, we need the financial support to do this.”
SMILE report that 94 per cent of their young people say that they feel more positive about themselves and their life choices after attending counselling and 82 per cent have seen positive outcomes in education, training, employment and improvement in family relationships.