John Swinney has apologised to a teenager who has waited more than five years for an ADHD diagnosis.
Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton raised the case of teenager Stephen who is still waiting for support from the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS).
Calling it a “national crisis”, Mr Cole-Hamilton pointed out that ADHD referrals had skyrocketed by 1000% in Glasgow among adults.
The teenager first had his consultation five years ago but Mr Cole-Hamilton said his family feared continuous lengthy waits on what he described as a “longest queue” in the NHS.
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Speaking during First Minister’s Questions on Thursday in the Scottish Parliament, Mr Cole-Hamilton said Stephen’s family had “no idea when he’ll reach the front of what must now be the longest queue in the National Care Service”.
Highlighting the case on World Mental Health Day, he said the teenager could miss more of the most critical years of his life - schooling, relationships, and exams - without the care or medication he needs.
Mr Cole-Hamilton: “That ADHD is often linked with conditions such as anxiety and depression” He asked the First Minister, “When we get to next World Mental Health Day, will Stephen and others continue waiting for care?”
Responding to the concerns, the First Minister said:“ I’m sorry that Stephen has waited as long as Mr. Cole-Hamilton has narrated to me today, and if he wishes to provide me with the information, of course, I’ll look into it.”
Addressing the broader issue, he acknowledged Cole-Hamilton’s claim of a national crisis but said: “There was a 15% increase in people accessing CAMHS services compared to pre-pandemic levels.”
Children's mental health charity Young Minds found in new research that poor mental health support in schools is having a detrimental impact on students. According to the charity, 74% of surveyed teachers across the UK said the lack of mental health resources is negatively affecting pupils' ability to learn.
Mr Swinney said: “From 2022-2023, the highest number of people on record began treatment, with one in two children starting within six weeks,” calling this “a significant improvement”, although acknowledging it “doesn’t comfort Stephen’s family”.
He reassured the parliament that the government has increased resources in this area, with the budget rising from £98 million to £114 million - a 17.2% increase - between 2022-2023.
The First Minister concluded: “I hope to make improvements.”
Meanwhile, health and social care researcher Sarah Swift revealed the stigma around ADHD within the health service had worsened.
She said: “Although NHS Tayside does not specifically track ADHD referrals the current waiting time for children referred to its neurodevelopment services is 154 weeks.
Ms Swift noted that the Scottish government is working with the National Autism Implementation Team to develop a single diagnostic pathway for adult autism and ADHD referrals.
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