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Glasgow Live
Glasgow Live
National
Katrine Bussey PA & Fahad Tariq

Glasgow woman living with bipolar says cost of living has worsened mental health

A woman who lives in Dennistoun, and suffers from bipolar and psychosis, says the cost of living crisis has worsened her mental health.

Now, Scotland's next first minister has been urged to increase spending on and staffing levels for mental health services. It comes as "deeply worrying" new research showed more than half of Scots are concerned about the impact of the cost-of-living crisis.

A poll carried out for the Royal College of Psychiatrists in Scotland found 52% of Scots are concerned about the impact rising prices are having on their mental health.

READ MORE: Glasgow prisoner takes own life after being 'devastated' by jail sentence

Gabby Quinn, 36, from Dennistoun said: "The cost-of-living payments did help but the next one isn't until spring and with my mental health conditions, I need to be able to plan ahead. I need structure. So, it's having an enormous negative affect on my mental health."

She runs a mental health support group in Glasgow and said people come there for help "because they can't get an appointment on the NHS - but we're not medical experts".

Gabby added: "I think the UK and Scottish Governments need to remember that a lot of people cannot afford to buy themselves lunch and there is a lot of people have never faced mental health challenges before, but now there are a lot of people needing support."

More than four out of five Scots (82%) think demand for services will increase in the future, the poll also revealed.

The research, by pollsters YouGov, showed the issues people are most concerned about, with 85% citing rising energy prices, while 79% are worried about increasing food costs and 31% are worried about increasing debt.

Meanwhile, more than a quarter of people (27%) said they had experienced a new episode of poor mental health in the past year.

As it published the findings, the college called on the three candidates running to be Scotland's next first minister - Health Secretary Humza Yousaf, Finance Secretary Kate Forbes and former community safety minister Ash Regan - to make mental health a priority.

It wants a reverse to the freeze on the mental health budget in 2023-24, and increase in the mental health workforce.

Speaking about the survey Dr Jane Morris, vice-chair of the Royal College of Psychiatrists in Scotland, said: "These are deeply worrying statistics and encapsulate the feelings of Scottish people about how the current cost-of-living crisis is affecting everyone's mental health.

"From relationship breakdowns to worries about crippling debt and wondering how you'll pay for the next energy bill or feed your children - these situations are tough and can have an enormous effect on anybody's mental health.

"There is already plenty of evidence that financial stress is associated with worse physical and mental health. The opposite is also true, poor health is likely to lead to impaired financial management."

She added: "We cannot provide medical solutions to society's economic problems, but we do need to support people with mental disorders to cope with the extra challenges.

"This is why it's very important that whoever becomes the new first minister, continues to prioritise mental health and look at reversing the freeze on mental health budgets for 2023-24."

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