A generation of young people are being failed on mental health

This Mental Health Awareness Week, as we rightly encourage open conversations and fight stigma, we must also confront an uncomfortable truth: our mental health system, particularly for children and young people, is in crisis. The Scottish Government is, I believe, failing a generation. Here in Bathgate and Linlithgow, and across Scotland, the stories I hear paint a grim picture. 

Constituents regularly contact me, desperate for support for their children who are stuck on unacceptably long waiting lists for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS). We’re talking about young people in distress, their families at breaking point, waiting months, sometimes even years, for an initial assessment, let alone the vital treatment they need. These aren't just numbers; these are children’s futures being jeopardised. The impact of these delays – on their education, their development, their overall wellbeing – is profound. 

A deeply troubling issue that continues to emerge through my casework is the challenge families face in securing neurodevelopmental (ND) diagnoses for their children. Those suspected of having conditions such as autism or ADHD are often placed on multiple, protracted waiting lists for assessment. The process lacks transparency, with families given little to no indication of how long they will have to wait – sometimes for years –  leaving them in a state of limbo. 

The consequences of these delays are devastating. I have seen first-hand, through the stories shared with my office, how prolonged waits for ND assessments severely impact children’s mental health. Without a formal diagnosis, children are often denied tailored support, and in the absence of understanding or intervention, their wellbeing deteriorates. Families are left to manage alone, and the critical window for early intervention – when support can be most effective – often passes. 

Tragically, many of these children reach a point where their mental health needs escalate to the extent that they require help from CAMHS, a service already stretched beyond capacity. The irony is cruel: the delay in receiving a neurodevelopmental assessment directly contributes to the very mental health crises the system is already struggling to manage. 

This is not just a personal tragedy for each family, but a systemic failure—and it’s exacerbated by the lack of robust, nationally collected data on ND waiting lists. Without clear, accurate data, there can be no accountability, no strategic planning, and no meaningful improvement. 

And who is left to pick up the pieces while these young people and their families wait in limbo? Our incredible third sector. Charities and community groups are working tirelessly, often on precarious funding, to provide a lifeline. Their dedication is immense, and they are performing heroics on a daily basis.

During a recent Prime Minister's Questions, I highlighted the extreme pressure organisations like SMILE Counselling in West Lothian are under. The figures from SMILE are staggering: as of May 2025, they have seen a 120 per cent increase in referrals compared to the same period in 2024, and a massive 164 per cent increase compared to the same period in 2023.

In the last 12 months alone, 142 referrals to SMILE have been signposted by local GPs or Mental Health nurses, with a further 17 referrals stemming directly from CAMHS.  And here’s the rub – SMILE receives no funding from NHS Lothian or the local Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) to deliver this lifeline support. 

This is not tenable situation – we cannot expect these organisations, however brilliant, to plug the gaping holes left by systemic under-resourcing and mismanagement of our public mental health services without the means to do so.

The third sector should be there to offer specialist support and enhance a well-functioning system, as well as to play a key role in early intervention measures, not to act as a safety net because the primary services are failing to cope. The current situation places an unbearable strain on these groups, forcing them to deal with increasingly complex cases because help hasn't arrived sooner. 

This Scottish Government has been in charge of health for 18 years, and during that time, we've seen waiting lists for CAMHS spiral. Warm words and promises are not enough. We need to see urgent, tangible action and proper investment to ensure our young people can access mental health support when and where they need it. This isn't just about funding; it's about reforming services, valuing our dedicated mental health professionals, and ensuring we have the workforce to meet the demand. 

This Mental Health Awareness Week, the theme is often about moving more for our mental health. I believe we also need the Scottish Government to move much, much faster to fix this crisis. We need a radical new approach to ensure timely access to CAMHS, to properly support our third sector partners with secure, long-term funding, and to give our children and young people the future they deserve. 

Let’s use this week not just for awareness, but as a call to arms. Our young people, and the dedicated charities supporting them, cannot afford any more delays. 

Kirsteen Sullivan is the Labour MP for Bathgate and Linlithgow.