Half of young mental health charity clients are experiencing suicidal thoughts as waiting lists for CAMHS grows

dailyrecord.co.uk:

The mental health crisis facing young people in West Lothian was laid bare this week after a local charity reported that half of its clients are experiencing suicidal thoughts.S.M.I.L.E Counselling, which provides free support to young people age 11 to 24 in West Lothian, revealed ‘suicidal ideation’, as it is known to healthcare professionals, was exhibited by a quarter of clients in 2020 – but now half of the charity’s clients in 2022 experience suicidal thoughts.In addition to this, the charity also states that there has been a large increase in the amount of under-16s being referred for counselling.Declan Harrigan, founder and CEO behind the charity S.M.I.L.E, said the reasons behind these sharp increases in both suicidal ideation and under-16 referrals are multi-faceted but that the pandemic definitely served as a catalyst for mental health issues.He said: “In just two years we’ve witnessed one-in-four clients exhibiting suicidal ideation turn into one-in-two clients exhibiting suicidal ideation. “There has also been a much larger increase in under-16s referring for support from S.M.I.L.E – the reasons behind this are pretty multi-faceted, but the pandemic has definitely been a catapult for increasing mental health issues. “Couple this with the rising cost of living, and these mental health issues for young people in West Lothian are only going to be exacerbated.”The charity, which was nominated for Charity of the Year this month, fulfilled 2253 one-to-one counselling sessions last year – supporting a total of 361 young people in West Lothian.S.M.I.L.E is predicted to take on its 1000th client next month – with the national rising cost of living exacerbating mental health issues.The Children and Adolescent Mental