As voters go to the polls this week, the Chair of the Royal College of Psychiatrists in Scotland has said Scotland’s next parliament should be judged on whether it puts mental health front and centre.
Dr Jane Morris has warned that Scotland’s mental health crisis will shorten lives, widen inequalities and spiral further out of control without early, decisive action in the next parliamentary term.
The next Government will be responsible for mental health services that are currently overstretched, under-resourced, and increasingly unable to provide effective treatment for people with the most serious mental health conditions. It is vital that all political parties have a plan to address this unacceptable situation.
Dr Jane Morris, Chair of RCPsych in Scotland, said:
“There is no health without mental health – and Scotland is currently failing some of its most unwell citizens.
“People with severe mental illnesses still die, on average, 15 to 20 years earlier than the rest of the population. Most of these deaths are not from suicide, but from preventable physical illness. That is not a mystery or a tragedy beyond our control. It is the foreseeable result of underinvestment, structural discrimination and systems that do not reach those who need them most.”
The College’s manifesto for the 2026 Scottish Parliament election calls for urgent action to close this mortality gap, address chronic workforce shortages, and give mental health parity with physical health in funding, access and accountability.
Despite repeated commitments to allocate at least 10% of NHS spending to mental health, Scotland continues to fall short. At the same time, one in four consultant psychiatrist posts are left vacant or filled by temporary staff, at the expense of patient care and NHS finances.
Dr Morris continued:
“Schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, severe OCD and anorexia nervosa are treatable conditions. With the right care, people recover, work, study, raise families and contribute fully to society. Yet we have seen time and again that when services are stretched to breaking point, the people with the most complex needs are pushed furthest to the margins.
“We also know it is young people – the future workforce of our country – who are disproportionately affected by mental illness. When we fail to treat it early and properly, we lock individuals, families and communities into avoidable disadvantage for decades.”
RCPsych in Scotland is urging all political parties to recognise and consider the scale of the mental health crisis affecting the nation regardless of the result of the election.
Dr Morris warned:
“Putting mental illness on an equal footing with physical illness should be an election test, not an afterthought. What happens in the first year of the next parliamentary term will determine whether Scotland finally addresses its mental health emergency – or quietly accepts worsening outcomes and lost potential.
“Psychiatrists stand ready to work on a cross‑party basis with the next government to rebuild mental health services in line with evidence, compassion and clinical expertise. The cost of delay will be measured in lives.”
For further information, please contact:
- Email: press@rcpsych.ac.uk
- Twitter: @rcpsych
- Out-of-hours contact number: 07860 755896