Meeting of the Parliament 24 June 2015
This bill is welcome and the changes that it makes to the law will make a positive difference to the lives of individuals. However, it is clear that much more needs to be done. We must give mental health the same focus and consideration as physical health. There is still a huge amount of misunderstanding and stigma surrounding mental health, and through the laws we make we need to tackle that.
Like other members I was disappointed that amendment 1, in the name of Jackie Baillie, was not accepted. It is clear that mental health legislation covers people who are not mentally ill but who have learning difficulties or other conditions such as autism. Those people need additional support, but their condition is not a mental illness, albeit that at times they may be predisposed to mental illness due to their isolation from wider society. We need laws that not only support and protect such people but go further to integrate them into society—perhaps we need laws to change societal attitudes and structures so that people do not face the barriers and attitudes that prevent them from playing their full part.
When I spoke to constituents about the bill, they told me about the lack of services available for people who have personality disorders. Those people do not receive crisis mental health support and they are often left for the police to deal with. Sadly, one constituent told me that that was not necessarily such a bad thing, given that the police often showed more compassion than those providing mental health services. Although I acknowledge the compassion that the police exercise when dealing with vulnerable people, that should not be the only help available for those with personality disorders who have become psychotic. There must be a better way of providing them with emergency mental health support through the health service.
There is also a lack of support for carers, especially when the cared-for person comes out of hospital. We all know that that transition is a time of the greatest risk of suicide, yet carers are often ignorant of that risk and how they can best support their loved ones. That is not right. Carers should have the information and support that they need to help recovery, especially during the early stages, when the risk is greatest.
That issue was raised with me recently by carers of people who had suffered brain injury. I reiterate that mental health services deal with illness rather than injury or disability. Carers are left to care for their loved ones, not knowing how the condition will progress, whether it will improve and what, if anything, they can do to enhance recovery. There must be a better way of supporting people in that situation.
We need to reassess what is covered by our mental health services and where the gaps are with regard to disabilities and brain injuries. We need to ensure that services are available to all and are compassionate and caring. I hope that the Government reviews the current legislation and renews it in order to make it fit for its intended purpose and to ensure that emergency provision is available for all.
I welcome the bill but hope that we will deal with the issues of mental health impairments and brain injuries before too long. Carers and patients cannot afford to wait much longer.
18:16