A quarter of children referred to mental health services in Scotland have been thinking about or attempted suicide – and face a postcode lottery as to whether they will be assessed or treated, a new Stirling University study suggests.
Suicide among children and young people is a leading cause of death globally and, in the UK, the number of suicides among under 25s has been continually rising since 2017. Scotland has the highest rate of suicides among children in the UK – however, the number referred to mental health services for suicidality, and the care they receive, is largely unknown.
