Highland mental health group calls out on 'shocking' comments on social media after recent Kessock Bridge in Inverness closures leave people in distress and reinforce plea for better crisis support in the region
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A HIGHLAND advocacy group for people suffering with mental health is calling out unkind behaviour on social media following recent incidents on Kessock Bridge.
HUG (Action for Mental Health), a collective advocacy project managed by charity Spirit Advocacy, reached out to its members and the public with a post on social media raising awareness on the levels of distress caused by several closures in recent weeks.
“Every time the bridge is shut it is a worry that someone is struggling and unable to see an alternative,” it stated in the post, which pointed out some people left “shocking and unkind” comments when such emergencies occur, before highlighting support organisations for those in need.
Sue Lyons, manager at Spirit Advocacy and author of the post, told the HN: “The issue for us is that it is incredibly distressing for people to not only see the bridge shut so many times in such a short space of time, but also seeing the responses on social media where people are very judgmental and mean – that can be very distressing, so we want to reach out to members and the wider community to make sure they have access to support for themselves if they are struggling.”
Emergency services close the bridge, which is a key section of the A9 connecting Inverness and the Black Isle, when concerned for a person. Ms Lyons said: “I think that it distresses people, and we take calls from our members who are distressed, and we are also concerned that nothing seems to be happening very much.
“There are agencies available to help people in moments of despair or distress. If you have friends or relatives (suffering distress) support them, speak to professionals. Trying to get involved in changing things times can help, so you can get in touch with us.
“Kindness goes a long way, whoever the person is and whatever the circumstances, we need to be kind about those people. It’s important to just be mindful of the impact of our words on people.
“HUG has called for many years for better crisis support for people and it’s really important that we support each other and that we ask for as much help from the organisations that are designed to do that as possible.”
This Saturday – which also marks World Suicide Prevention Day – the charity will host a public meeting aimed at exploring possible ways to demand action from politicians locally and nationally as well as ideas for community response in view of the cost-of-living crisis.
Ms Lyons said: “Our members asked that we hold an open meeting to discuss how can we put pressure on our governments and the elected representatives to ensure that they are understanding the impact of that – how we can help each other to cope with energy costs being so high and food costs rising, and what actions we can take as communities and individuals to lobby for more support for people who need it.
“In 2019, we did some research and found that people in rural poverty have the lowest levels of mental wellbeing, and we already have members who can’t afford their bills, and it’s only September. We have people who are worried and distressed about how they will manage through the winter.
“It’s about people who are living with mental illness, long-term conditions and in poverty, and what matters to them, and we need to hear what they have to say and talk about what actions we would like to see as a community long-term.”
The public meeting will be held from 11am-1pm at The Bught Stop in Torvean Avenue, Inverness.
More information is available at spiritadvocacy.org.uk and on HUG (Action for Mental Health) Facebook page.
If you need help or know someone who is struggling, you can get in touch with the organisations below:
- Samaritans: 116 123 (calls are free and do not show on a phone bill)
- Breathing Space: 0800 83 85 87 (Monday to Thursday 6pm-2am; Friday 6pm to Monday 6am)
- MikeysLine: 07786 207755 (Sunday to Thursday 6pm-10pm, Friday and Saturday 7pm-7am)
- Ewen’s Room: 0800 689 3317 (Weekdays 5pm-10pm; Weekends noon-10pm)
- James Support group: 07563 572 471 (24-hour helpline)
