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Mental health services - Children and Young People
Information for professionals - Supporting the mental health of children and young people
“Don’t assume I’m ok”: Stories from children and young people impacted by neurological conditions
Mental health and neurological conditions
At least 1 in 6 people across the UK live with a condition that affects the brain, spinal cord, and /or nervous system. These conditions can arise from a wide variety of causes and can vary significantly in severity and impact. There are over 600 known neurological conditions, many of them are considered rare, and some of them are life-limiting.
In our most recent patient experience survey of people living with neurological conditions and their carers we found that:
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87% of people with a neurological condition suffer from poor mental health and wellbeing, with over a third saying they had a co-morbid mental health condition like Generalised Anxiety Disorder, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or depression.
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Two out of three (64%) adult respondents report that they are not coping well with their condition. Many find day-to-day life consistently challenging, with symptoms affecting all areas of their lives, from social and recreational activities to work, study, finances, and maintaining relationships.
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An overwhelming 82% of carers report that the children in their care regularly experience frustration and anger due to their symptoms.
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A third of carers said they are unable to manage their own health and wellbeing (34%), and over half (55%) have not been able to access mental health support for themselves over the past 12 months.
(Source: Today’s Challenge, Tomorrow’s Hope 2025)
This page has been created by our mental health subgroup, a subgroup of our Policy Group. Our Mental Health subgroup meet bi-monthly, working to raise awareness of the mental health impact of living with a neurological condition or caring for someone who does, and to influence decision makers to improve mental health services and support.
Recomendations for better mental health support
In 2024 the Mental Health subgroup published a report, ‘Recommendations for better mental health support for people affected by neurological conditions’. This report demonstrates how a lack of access to mental health services for people affected by neurological conditions is profoundly impacting the wellbeing of people across Scotland and the underfunded neurological third sector is struggling to cope with the volume and intensity of demand for mental health support.
From this research, we identified six recommendations which will improve mental health support for people affected by neurological conditions:
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Scottish Government and other statutory bodies should properly fund the neurological third sector to deliver social support in the community, to enable earlier intervention, and reduce the demand for statutory services. When we talk about social support, these services could include one-to-one check-in services, peer support, social prescribing for exercise, and connectivity
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Scottish Government should work with NHS Delivery for Scotland and other key partners to develop and implement a training package for the neurological workforce on mental health awareness in order to better equip the neurology workforce to provide mental health support
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Health professions to introduce reviews to consider mental health, cognitive health, and physical health issues across all neurological conditions at neurology appointments
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Health professionals must recognise the value of unpaid carers and signpost them to supportive organisations, including organisations in the third sector
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Support the general mental health workforce to better understand neurological conditions and be able to tailor their approach for people with neurological conditions
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Encourage the culture of joint working between mental health, neurology, other related specialities and the neurological third sector to better put people with neurological conditions at the heart of their treatment
