JENNY GILRUTH BACKS MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS WEEK

Published date : 17 May 2018

JENNY GILRUTH BACKS MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS WEEK

MSP for Mid Fife and Glenrothes, Jenny Gilruth, has raised the importance of discussing our mental health as part of Mental Health Awareness Week 2018.

The MSP has called on constituents to come together and get talking openly about mental health. The call follows the Mental Health Foundation’s publication ‘Stress – Are we Coping?’ that shows that nearly two thirds of Scots will experience a mental health problem at some stage in their lives. Much of this is related to stress.

The Scottish Government have supported a number of initiatives as part of the Mental Health Strategy lunched in 2017. Recently, with the help of Young Scot and SAMH, the Scottish Government set up a Youth Commission on Mental Health Services. The team of young people will conduct a study aimed at reshaping the support available to young people.

Commenting, Jenny Gilruth MSP, said:

“Everyone has mental health, which like physical wellbeing can vary as part of our day to day lives.

“We need to be prepared to talk about such issues so we can support more people through tough periods.

“There has been a huge amount of good work done in Scotland over recent years to raise awareness of mental illness, reduce stigma and challenge mental health related discrimination.

“We all have a duty to continue these positive steps by discussing how we are feeling with others. Whether we are talking about our good mental health, our bad mental health, or everything in between, we’re all people and we all need to get talking about it.

“The Scottish Government have made significant progress in tackling Scotland’s mental health problems, backed by a huge financial commitment of £150 million over the next five years.

ENDS

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