A “world leading” new mental health support service rolls out through Scotland today.
The Scottish Government has announced all 31 Health and Social Care Partnerships have signed up to a new support programme designed to help those experiencing mental health issues.
The Distress Brief Intervention (DBI) service was initially launched seven years ago and has already helped 75,000 people across Scotland.
The expansion to all Scottish health boards means it will now be quicker and easier for anyone in the country experiencing distress to access the right support.
This comes towards the end of what is nationally recognised as Men’s Mental Health Awareness Month, in which charities across Scotland have been raising awareness for the issue which disproportionately affects men.
Professor Rory O’Connor, co-lead for the intervention and training components of DBI, said: “DBI is an incredible achievement. Tens of thousands of people in distress have received immediate, compassionate support since its launch in 2017.”
“It’s a remarkable team effort by colleagues up and down the country, driven by the shared purpose of delivering compassionate, connected support to people when they need it,” O’Connor said. “I am so proud to be involved in this world-leading mental health intervention.”
The DBI programme has been a key part of the Scottish Government’s strategy to improve the overall mental health of the country – something continually highlighted as a priority in parliament.
The programme offers people who present to emergency services in distress an initial call within 24 hours, and those needing further support would be provided with up to two weeks of one-to-one support with a trained practitioner.
Ian Hounsome, Area Lead for Edinburgh of men’s suicide prevention charity ANDYSMANCLUB, said he heard about the programme for the first time on the news last night, and hopes it makes a difference, but isn’t convinced that it targets the root of the problem, which he thinks is the societal expectation of men.
“They could put all the services there but I’m not sure men would access them – that’s the problem that we need to solve,” Hounsome said. “Men don’t open up, they don’t talk – age-old cliches like ‘man-up’ and ‘boys don’t cry’ only add to this issue.”
In Scotland, men under the age of 54 are more likely to die of suicide than other causes, and last year, 590 of the 792 deaths by probable suicide were male.
ANDYSMANCLUB’s aim is to end the stigma surrounding men’s mental health by encouraging conversation around the topic.
They hold weekly groups for men across the UK where they can attend a safe space to talk, or just listen to someone who might be having a similar experience. In Scotland, over 700 men attend these groups each week.
Ian became involved with ANDYSMANCLUB as an attendee three years ago.
“I just realised that I wasn’t alone. Talking helped me so much,” he said. “The main message we want to send is that it’s okay to talk, and everybody struggles.”
Commenting on the current mental health services available in Scotland, Ian said that they are good but tend to be slow – he’s still waiting for a referral to a psychiatrist three years after entering the system – and hopes that the introduction of DBI could help.
However, he admitted that it was a reactionary solution to the overall problem:
“I think the government needs to be more proactive than reactive – mental health issues start from growing up, especially if you’re born in a deprived area, you’re more likely to struggle. So, they also need to focus on those social issues.”
- If you or someone you know is struggling, there are services you can access.
- NHS inform has a list of resources available to anyone, with many of these available 24 hours a day.
- Samaritans can be called for free on 116 123 or contacted via email at jo@samaritans.org . Visit the Samaritans website for more information.
- You can find ANDYSMANCLUB online at andysmanclub.co.uk, and on social media @andysmanclubuk.