By Henry Jones, CEO, Big White Wall

SCOTLAND’S young people are desperate for mental health support, but it’s a system in crisis which is failing those in need. In 2017/18 alone, 33,270 of Scotland’s young people were referred for a Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) appointment – sadly 7,199 of them were turned away.

Of those who were able to secure an appointment with CAMHS, more than a quarter (5,227) were not seen within the Scottish Government’s target time of 18 weeks.

The situation has spiralled so much that Scottish Labour Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport, Monica Lennon, recently described it as a “national scandal”, and while the Scottish Government has announced plans to review its mental health legislation – which hasn’t been updated since 2003 – there is no telling how long this may take. In the meantime, Scotland’s young people will continue to struggle unless alternative means of support are introduced to bolster the current system. Adopting digital and implementing online mental health platforms can really make a difference.

The biggest problem with Scotland’s current CAMHS model is the difficulty in accessing services. Not only are the majority of the country’s regional health boards consistently missing the targets set out by the Scottish Government, but there is also huge disparity between the level of access provided by each board.

The Government set the standard for at least 90 per cent of young people to start CAMHS treatment within 18 weeks of referral, however the reality is that the target is woefully low and remains unmet. In the last quarter of 2018, just one-third of health boards met this objective, with one board reporting only 41.1 per cent of its young people received CAMHS treatment. This is not good news: a lot can change in just over four months and there are little signs of improving in the near future. Online mental health services can make a big difference.

UK-wide, there are ambitious plans from the Government to tackle and support the rising numbers of young people who suffer with mental health problems in the NHS Long Term Plan, but simply doing more of what’s been done before isn’t necessarily the answer. We know that our young people are some of the heaviest internet users in the world, with more than a third of Britain’s teens aged 15 and over spending more than six hours a day online to help with all aspects of their lives. Why should this not include support for their mental health and wellbeing?

Technology provides the opportunity for 24/7 access to early intervention and prevention support, helping the masses with lower levels of distress by providing a clinically safe and moderated online community. This then frees capacity for those with higher need, who require specialist and more intense treatment. We also cannot exclude the importance of stigma. According to See Me Scotland, stigma, discrimination and a fear of not being taken seriously are the most prominent factors preventing young people from opening up about their mental health. In a survey of students who found support via Big White Wall, 90 per cent of respondents said anonymity had encouraged them to use the service.

If we couple the opportunity of reaching young people via the medium they are accustomed to, with clinical safety, anonymity and useful information, we can see a new model for CAMHS emerging. One which we need to adopt sooner rather than later if we are to begin making an impact on the statistics and quality and availability of support for young people.