Too complex to help – a mental health crisis
- Written by: Lee Davidson — UWS Student
- Published: 10th October 2019
University of the West of Scotland student, Lee Davidson, shares her opinion on mental health
Can you imagine being told “you are too complex to help”, “I am really sorry but we have no capacity to help you for two years minimum”. Drifting from organisation to organisation desperately trying to access the help you need, carrying around a huge amount of trauma but no one to help.
Funding for mental health services in Scotland are appalling. We have students graduating in counselling and psychology but with no jobs to attend, yet we have a mental health crisis of not enough mental health support and people falling through the cracks.
- Addictions are rising
- Homelessness is rising
- Poverty is rising, especially for children
- Suicide rates are rising
How many people do we lose before things change?
The impact of this on the mental health and well-being of society can be seen in your every day. We are failing as a nation to provide the services that we need. Of late Scotland has taken on the trauma informed approach to services which has a long way to go for implementation. Trauma informed if done properly, means when you go to your housing office and you trigger, someone will understand and be able to support you through that. Will that help more people access housing they need? Its a step closer than we are now. Trauma is a wound that can heal, but it leaves a scar! There’s no fully moving on from a trauma wound, life, smells, sounds, noises, people, and events always reminds you … it was real!
People are becoming aware that mental health and well-being are intrinsic to people accessing and engaging in all services. This has caused a surge in grassroots mental health and well-being peer support groups being established. These are paving the way to new ways of helping society’s mental health crisis, but we need more. We need mental health services to be able to adapt with society. We need the Scottish Government to recognise there needs to be an investment in mental health and well-being services.
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