That the Parliament welcomes the launch of the "Show Up" mental health stigma and discrimination campaign from SAMH; understands that people with mental illness in Glasgow and across Scotland die on average 15 years earlier than people without; notes that two thirds of such early deaths are a result of preventable causes, which are too often overlooked or dismissed because of a person’s mental illness diagnosis; acknowledges the campaign’s call for the Scottish Government and the Parliament to take action to close the mortality gap and ensure that people with mental illness are not dying as a result of a healthcare system that too often discriminates against them; agrees that this should be addressed by introducing an entitlement to annual physical health checks for people with mental illness, ensuring that everyone living with a mental illness has access to social prescribing opportunities, and tackling poverty as a leading cause of poor mental health and early death, and wishes SAMH well with the campaign.
Supported by: Sarah Boyack, Miles Briggs, Alexander Burnett, Foysol Choudhury, Dr Pam Gosal MBE, Bill Kidd, Monica Lennon, Pauline McNeill, Carol Mochan, Kevin Stewart, David Torrance, Evelyn Tweed, Mercedes Villalba, Sue Webber, Annie Wells, Elena Whitham, Brian Whittle, Beatrice Wishart