Figures from the Scottish Government’s schools census show that pupils experiencing depression, anxiety and self-harm have risen by a staggering 526% since 2015.
Ruth with a picture of her little girl Sophie
Child experts have demanded politicians to take urgent action as poor mental health reports have soared by more than 500% in Scots schools.
Figures from the Scottish Government’s schools census show that pupils experiencing depression, anxiety and self-harm have risen by a staggering 526% since 2015. The shocking figures come amid the Record’s Save Young Lives campaign, which was set up last year in response to the youth mental health crisis in Scotland.
They have spurred bereaved parents, child experts and charities to demand urgent action from the Scottish Government and politicians to turn the tide on tragedy.
Ruth Moss, 52, whose daughter Sophie died by suicide in 2014, told the Record: “These figures should be jarring and horrifying for those at the top. This is our future generation and the response to this needs to be robust and it absolutely needs to be a priority.
“This is a crisis and behind these figures are people’s children with their lives ahead of them. Each one is a child that is seriously struggling.
“If this doesn’t show mental health education is needed in schools, nothing will. I say to politicians reading these figures: Don’t pay lip service to this.”
Ruth Moss with her beloved daughter Sophie
The statistics also showed that pupils requiring communication support needs has risen by 296%. Those suffering from substance misuse also increased by 245%.
At the same time, educational psychologist numbers barely shifted – rising only from 370 to 396 in ten years. The Scottish Children’s Services Coalition (SCSC), an alliance of leading providers of specialist care and education for vulnerable children and young people, warned that rising need is being met with falling support.
A spokesperson for the Coalition said: “We are in the midst of a mental health emergency. Demand for support is soaring but staffing and resources are simply not keeping pace. Over the past decade, the number of children and young people whose additional support needs are linked to mental health has risen by more than 500 per cent.
“Behind every statistic is a young person in urgent need—too often facing overstretched services that cannot respond in time. Without early and effective support, these conditions will not just affect the young person now, but persist into adulthood, affecting physical health, life chances, employment and relationships – and placing a lasting strain on society and the economy.”
Mary Glasgow, chief executive of Children First(Image: UGC)
Children First said the harrowing statistics indicated that Scotland is grappling with a mental health emergency among young people. The national children’s charity called on the Scottish Government to “stop talking about prevention and start delivering it.”
Mary Glasgow, chief executive, said: “These figures are a wake-up call, showing that addressing children’s mental health in Scotland is now an emergency. A more than fivefold rise in mental health problems among children is not a trend, it is a crisis that has been allowed to escalate for a decade. Children are paying the price for years of delayed action.
“Children’s mental health is not collapsing overnight. It is the result of early warning signs being ignored and support arriving far too late. The next Scottish Government, along with local authorities and the NHS, must stop talking about prevention and start delivering it. Investing in early help, family support and community services is not optional. It is how we keep children safe, and it is how lives are saved.
“Behind every statistic is a child and a family doing the best they can, often feeling isolated and unheard. No family should face this alone.”
The Record launched Save Young Lives in November last year after a wave of tragic young deaths to suicide. As part of the campaign, we have demanded the Scottish Government to roll out suicide prevention education in schools.
The Record’s Save Young Lives campaign
We’ve also asked every political party to promise in their Holyrood election manifestos to reduce waiting times for kids’ mental health. And we ask every adult to play their part in informing themselves about the key facts around youth suicide and knowledge of where and when to get help.
The spokesperson for the SCSC said: “We welcome the Daily Record’s Save Young Lives campaign. Now, every political party must match that urgency and commit to real action on mental health in the next session of the Scottish Parliament.”
Commenting on the figures, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said: “Scotland’s kids are facing a surging tide of mental health problems but the support available is a shadow of what it should be. Scotland needs to cut waiting times and establish world class mental health services.”
Scottish Labour education spokesperson Paul O’Kane said: “As these shocking new figures show, children with mental health needs are far too often being left to fall through the cracks, with successive SNP ministers failing to address this serious issue.”
Clare Haughey, SNP candidate for Rutherglen and Cambuslang, said: “We have met our CAMHS target for over a year and we are ensuring funding for counselling services throughout Scottish schools – that’s what you get from an SNP government on Scotland’s side.
“The SNP is working hard to make sure everyone in Scotland has 24/7 access to the right mental health support and we have GP walk-in centres springing up across the country too.
“Today we have set out our plans to set up a new Crisis Framework for Children and Young People, and Crisis Intervention Fund, backed by an initial £1 million, will also develop emergency mental health responses.”
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