There is a mental health crisis among our young people

So why are referrals from child to adult support services falling sharply in the Lothians?

Jason and Heather Stitt

“My son has been abandoned by mental health services.”

Heather Stitt had to fight for her son to get treatment from CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services) in the first place.

When he turned 18 and was told he did not qualify for support from adult mental heath services, it came as a bitter blow.

Jason has self-harmed and had thoughts of ending his life. Since he stopped receiving help from CAMHS after his birthday in December, Heather says his mental health has taken a turn for the worse.

He has been turned away from A&E, after seeking help during an episode of psychosis, when doctors referred him back to his GP.

“It was a fight to get help, but he finally felt supported and that he had a chance of getting better. CAMHS really tried, this isn’t their fault,” she says. “Now I am terrified for his life.”

Sadly, Jason’s story is far from an isolated one.

As referrals rise elsewhere, they fall in Lothian

Everyone agrees there is a growing mental health crisis among young people across the country. It is no different in the Lothians, where the number of children being referred to CAMHS for support for a wide range of mental health issues is significantly higher than in other parts of Scotland.

However, an investigation by the Inquirer has found the number of 18-year-olds being referred to adult services in NHS Lothian has sharply fallen.

Despite the growing demand for support, the number being referred from CAMHS to adult mental health services in the Lothians has dropped by more than a half in three years.