Yousaf vows to invest in mental health support as he meets young campaigners

Humza Yousaf pledged to continue investing in youth mental health as he was questioned by 20 young people on the issue.

The roundtable discussion on mental health support was part of centenary celebrations for SAMH (Scottish Association for Mental Health).

The First Minister met the mental health campaigners at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh and faced questions on issues including waiting times for specialist services, how to tackle youth suicide and support for neurodivergent young people.

Mr Yousaf said: “I’m here to take part in SAMH’s centenary celebrations, but most importantly to hear from a whole group of young people right across the country about the mental health challenges they face and sometimes the challenges they face to access support and treatment.

“So, I’ve given them a reassurance that will we will continue to invest not just in CAHMS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services), but also the pre-crisis interventions which are so important to young people.”

He added: “I’d like to commend the absolutely vital work of SAMH in its centenary year. The organisation has a long history of supporting people and families with their mental health, and has continued to evolve in order to ensure it provides expert and targeted support.

“I was inspired to hear from the young people, who spoke so passionately about mental health. The work that SAMH does to tackle mental health stigma, to stand up for the rights of those who need more support, and to champion better mental health care has never been more important.”

SAMH chief executive Billy Watson said: “Young people have always been important to SAMH – right back from our origins in the 1920s, to recent years, where our work campaigning for better mental health support for children and young people sits alongside our dedicated services for young people and their families.

“So, as we celebrate our centenary year, we were delighted to be able to offer young people the opportunity to meet with the First Minister in an informal, relaxed setting, and to ask him the questions that matter most to them.”

He added: “We look forward to working with the First Minister and the Scottish Government to ensure that collectively we provide young people with the effective and timely mental health support they so desperately need.”