Scottish Children Waiting Years for Mental Health Treatment

According to a recent investigation, children across Scotland are enduring prolonged waits, sometimes exceeding 3 years, to access critical mental health services. The Scottish Liberal Democrats conducted a series of freedom of information requests to NHS health boards, uncovering alarming data.

In 2024-25, a patient in NHS Highland waited a staggering 1,189 days, or over 3 years, to begin treatment with Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS). Patients in other health boards, including Ayrshire and Arran, the Borders, Greater Glasgow and Clyde, Lothian, and Lanarkshire, also waited more than a year to start treatment, with one person in NHS Tayside waiting 1,137 days.

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton warned that these lengthy waits can significantly damage children's mental health, stating, "Making children and young people wait years for help only worsens their mental health; it is a sure-fire way to add to their pain." The party has pledged to address this crisis by increasing the number of counselors in schools and rolling out more specialists in GP surgeries and emergency departments.

While the Scottish government has claimed progress in meeting national standards for CAMHS wait times, the data reveals a concerning reality for many young people in need of vital mental health support.