Hansard

I welcome the opportunity to speak in the debate. Although we have made great strides in breaking down the stigma of poor mental health, suicide remains a difficult subject to broach and continues to carry a certain stigma—perceived or otherwise—for those caught in its grip. However, the reality is that, statistically, it is likely that the majority of members in the chamber will have been affected by suicide at one time or another. Therefore it is right that we are taking the time to debate the Scottish Government’s suicide prevention plan.

As has already been mentioned, suicide remains a main cause of avoidable death in Scotland, especially in young males aged 24 to 50. Scotland also has the highest suicide rates in the UK, so it is welcome that the Scottish Government has introduced the action plan, and Scottish Conservatives welcome its contents. However, I suggest that an element of that plan is missing. I want to use the short time that I have to speak to the importance of an overall health strategy and its potential impact on issues such as suicide.

The Scottish Association for Mental Health’s document “Scotland’s Mental Health Charter for Physical Activity & Sport” states that

“Physical activity through sport or recreation has been proven to have a positive impact on physical and mental health and wellbeing.”

and that

“Research suggests the less physical activity a person does, the more likely they are to experience low mood, depression, tension and worry.”

That is backed up by James Jopling, Samaritans executive director for Scotland, who has said:

“Physical activity can provide mental health and wellbeing benefits of itself, but can also provide an environment for individuals to connect with other people and provide an antidote for some to feelings of social isolation and loneliness.”

Being physically active is a cornerstone of preventing decline into poor mental health and also as part of the treatment for those already suffering. SAMH is absolutely clear in its commitment to physical activity being part of a mental health strategy. It is quite clear from its presentation that removing barriers to participation in physical activity and sport is a priority. That means that groups with specific needs must be given solutions that fit their situations.

The part that a basic healthy diet plays in making a significant impact on mental health is also very clear from research. The Mental Health Foundation’s presentation “Food for Thought” states:

“One of the most obvious yet under recognised factors in the development of mental health is nutrition ... There is a growing body of evidence indicating that nutrition may play an important role in the prevention, development and management of diagnosed mental health problems including depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and dementia.”

It is also says:

“It is necessary for individuals, practitioners and policy makers to make sense of the relationship between mental health and diet so we can make informed choices, not only about promoting and maintaining good mental health but also increasing awareness of the potential for poor nutrition to be a factor in stimulating or maintaining poor mental health.”

As part of the Health and Sport Committee’s investigation, Sandra White and I visited Cardonald college, and I had an opportunity to hear from a group of students, all of whom, at some point, had contemplated or attempted suicide. During that very raw discussion, they highlighted the fact that they knew what things they could do to help themselves. For example, they knew that taking exercise is major way to combat poor mental health, and they knew that eating properly can have a major impact on their wellbeing. They knew that because that is what the doctors had told them. However, as one young woman told me, although she was well aware of the positive impact that getting out of bed and going for a walk, or having a healthy breakfast would have on her demeanour, she could not make herself get out of bed except to microwave a frozen pizza at some point during the day.

It is not enough to point to a solution. There has to be easy access, with the individual in mind. In fact, the members of the group managed to find a solution themselves by committing to work and exercise together, and to talk about social inclusion.

I always thought that it was the responsibility of Government to create an environment where that kind of opportunity exists for everyone, irrespective of background or personal circumstance. The hard part of that is to also ensure that all are aware of the opportunities and have the knowledge, confidence, capability and aspiration to make those choices.

There are so many moving parts to health and wellbeing. It is no secret that I think that education has a huge footprint in health; indeed, education is represented in the Government strategy that we are discussing, especially in the preventative agenda.

We are debating a suicide prevention strategy, but we are actually debating health. I will always argue that physical activity, nutrition and inclusivity should be the basis of any health strategy. The Scottish Government’s suicide strategy goes only half way. Like many of its other strategies, it proposes to deal with those whose health has deteriorated to a very low level. We need to address how to prevent sufferers entering that downward spiral in the first place. Dr David Kingdon, who is a professor of mental healthcare delivery at the University of Southampton, said:

“Can we prevent mental health problems? Of course ... the evidence is incontrovertible. So why don’t we? The problems often start in childhood but we spend most of our resources on dealing with the consequences—in hospitals and prisons.”

My addition to that is that we are also dealing with the consequences in this debate.

Although I warmly welcome the Government’s publication of its suicide prevention strategy, we on these benches consider that it provides only half a solution. We need to consider solutions within an overall, cohesive health-of-the-nation approach.