WITH their wide open spaces, slower pace of life and tight-knit communities, the Highlands and Western Isles are generally considered among the most desirable areas to live.
However, experts in rural mental health say the “stags and mountains’ image risks masking the social problems in some of Scotland’s most scenic areas.
Suicide rates in Orkney, the Highlands and Western Isles are the highest in the country, while poverty and deprivation, with its links to poorer mental health, is less visible.
Jim Hume, Convener of the National Rural Mental Health Forum (NRMHF) says of the suicide rates“a lot is unknown” but suggests an idealised version of life in remote areas is not necessarily helpful.
Research involving the College of Rural Life and the charity Support in Mind Scotland in 2016, shed some light on some of the possible reasons for poorer mental health in those areas. They include a perceived lack of anonymity.
READ MORE: Death of six shinty players from same Highland team prompts search for answers
Further studies by the Equality Network found that suicidal ideation was relatively high amongst the LGBTI community, who may feel even more marginalised in smaller villages and towns.
“There is often a perception amongst policy makers in the past that if you live in rural areas that it’s a lifestyle choice,” said Mr Hume, who was a Liberal Democrat list MSP for the south of Scotland from 2007 until March 2016.
“You see that picture of the stag and everyone is going around in plus fours and Range Rovers.
“Some of the things that came out in our research was that lack of anonymity. So everyone knows everyone’s business.
“It’s a double edged one that, because some communities are very supportive but others can be more judgemental and I think that’s getting a lot better but we still have a long way to go.
“So they are perhaps not coming forward (to seek out help).
“Deprivation is a bit more hidden - I’m not saying that is directly related to suicide -but there is some correlation.
“The index for multiple deprivation doesn’t work so well in rural areas. You could go to an urban setting in Glasgow or Edinburgh and point to an area and say, yes that’s an area of multiple deprivation.
“Two thirds of people who live in deprivation - and this is Scottish Government data - don’t live in a deprived area.”
Mr Hume, who is also Director of Policy for the charity Support in Mind Scotland, says limited transport services were also cited as a barrier to accessing support services, while the services themselves may be more limited.
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Those who took part in research looking at mental ill-health in rural areas said there was a need for more outreach services in “low-level”, non-clinical settings,such as village halls, outreach buses and other mobile services.
The sister of a fisherman from Lewis who took his own life in March, said she believed there was “absolutely no doubt” that there are insufficient support services in the Western Isles.
Alice’s Mitchell’s 29-year-old brother Michael, a former fisherman, was found dead in his home on March 23, the anniversary of the first national lockdown.
Deaths from suicide are published yearly by the National Records Scotland (NRS) and the figures for 2020 are not expected until June 2021 but rates of depression are thought to have doubled during the pandemic.
READ MORE: Family mourning death of fisherman from Isles with Scotland's second highest suicide rate
“If you have very poor mental illness, which includes suicide ideation then transport can be an issue to get to your services,” said Mr Hume.
“A lot of the services are urban based. Many services are doing outreach but if you don’t have a car, you can be isolated. “
Research has found that suicides in traditionally male-dominated jobs, including farm, forestry and fishing, are seven times more likely than in customer service roles.
Mr Hume said efforts have been made to encourage major employers in rural areas including the Forestry Commission and the Scottish Salmon Company to put more support strategies in place for employees.
“Some of those hadn’t been tackling mental health before because they were frightened to touch it and then with our meetings they have become involved and are all doing their own things.
“Lone working can be an issue. There is current research ongoing looking at mental health in farming.
“There are concerns over access to means for some individuals, it’s also a concern with vets, albeit that’s quite a small population compared to the farming community", he added."
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The Equality Network’s Further Out There report from 2020 found that suicidal ideation was relatively high amongst the LGBT community.
“It talked about members of that community moving into urban areas because obviously there is an extra stigma with that and that’s been a bit of an extra pressure on those who are still living in rural areas because they have lost their connections and ability to meet with people.”
Research by the University of Edinburgh which examined the psychological, social and financial effects of the pandemic in rural areas found that 32% of those aged 18 to 29 said they feel lonely most or all of the time, compared with 3% in the 70-79 age group, and 8% of the total surveyed.
Kate Forbes, SNP candidate for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch, said the high suicide rate in the Highlands was “of great concern.”
She said: “Of course, it is essential that those who need help get it when they ask. It’s important that we work with perhaps unusual organisations to reach men in particular.
"For example, sports clubs like shinty teams or farmers associations have made big strides to destigmatise mental health and point people in the right direction.”
John Erskine, Scottish Labour candidate for the area added: "We want to see every GP practice have access to the mental health worker who could support patients, promote holistic care, help reduce pressures on GPs and hopefully reduce our regions appalling suicide rate.
“The aim would be to support GPs to care for patients with mental health needs, preventing patients having to face long waits for specialist services without support and delivering parity if esteem between mental and physical health care.
“The SNP previously promised 800 mental health workers but this was across a range of settings. By Jan 2021, less than 200 had been recruited to GP practices.
“Currently only 8.5% of NHS Scotland’s budget is spent on mental health, if we want to tackle the mental health crisis in the Highlands and Islands and across Scotland we need to raise this to at least 11% as is the case in England and Wales
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