4 Scottish footballers on suicide watch as mental health impact of shutdown laid bare

On the other hand some people might see this as their turning point. Life is very fragile and really this might be what knocks them out of a rut. Maybe not so much people with severe depression but those who have felt unfulfilled with their life. It could be good for them to change their Outlook.
 
My heart goes out to you, your colleagues and patients. It doesn't bear thinking about how many people will lose there lives during this pandemic outside of the virus.

Cheers Max. Much appreciated. We're trying our best but the frontline medical staff and all ancillary staff deserve all the credit for putting others before themselves.
 
Not sure this fits exactly in this particular thread but I'll post it anyway as I no longer have access to the lounge.

I work in child & adolescent mental health. The majority of my practice is delivering 1-2-1 therapeutic interventions at school or at home. This is no longer viable due to school closures and clinicians being directed to work from home. I'm effectively now a telephone counsellor.
The emotional wellbeing of the CYP I work with was already already in a poor state and is becoming steadily worse due to current circumstances. School was a respite for a lot of CYP coming from abusive/neglectful homes. For many it was their only safe space and the only place they were guaranteed to be fed and looked after properly. The fact that they no longer have that safety blanket is terrifying for them and extremely worrying for health professionals trying to continue with packages of care.

A lot of my clients are on the ASD spectrum or have other neurodevelopmental disorders who are already highly anxious and lacking in motivation and self-esteem. Some of them now think the world is about to end and it's having a massive impact on their mental health. In the last few weeks I have noticed a very large increase in self-harming behaviours and suicidal ideation amongst my client group which ranges from 7 - 19 years of age. On top of this I have parents/carers, many with their own difficulties, freaking out because they are either clueless, careless or so consumed by their own problems that they cannot look after their children properly.

To put it mildly, it's all going downhill fast for these CYP and only getting worse. Many of my colleagues are beginning to struggle themselves with increased workloads putting them under enormous amounts of pressure. Resources were already very stretched before the current situation and are now close to breaking point.

The most worrying thing for me is not being able to read facial cues and the body language of my clients as I would normally do face to face. I know some kids will just tell me they're alright over the phone knowing I can't challenge them effectively. Some parents don't even let me talk to their kids telling me they're fine and not to worry but i'm certain some of them are in danger.
The fallout of this will be many fold and will take a very long time to right itself. I'll be astonished of suicide rates in CYP do not spike. Large amounts of CYP will be beaten on a daily basis. Kids will be cutting themselves in their bathrooms and bedrooms. Child Sexual Exploitation will go through the roof. Parents will fight in front of kids, many will separate and staff sickness levels will increase massively.

The sooner this shit show ends the better for all of us. It's going to be a long haul but we'll get there. Eventually.

Apologies to OP. I don't mean to hi-jack your thread but i had to post this somewhere.

That is both heartbreaking and terrifying. Many of us have absolutely no idea what goes on behind the closed doors of many households.

I hope you can continue to make a difference despite the obvious obstacle of the coronavirus just now. It sounds like you do an incredibly important job.
 
On the other hand some people might see this as their turning point. Life is very fragile and really this might be what knocks them out of a rut. Maybe not so much people with severe depression but those who have felt unfulfilled with their life. It could be good for them to change their Outlook.
I'm already feeling that way mate.
 
It is really worrying for folk and not just in football . Hope everyone gets the help they deserve but fear the mental health system can’t cope under normal circumstances but even more so now
 
It's not about being rich or poor. Sometimes it can just be the shock of the change of environment. The loss of that freedom to do what you want, when you want.

Not having anything to get up for in the morning..............even if just for a few weeks.
 
It is really worrying for folk and not just in football . Hope everyone gets the help they deserve but fear the mental health system can’t cope under normal circumstances but even more so now
There is no way it could cope. But, if everyone can just be there for each other.

I believe that this could make the world a better place. Maybe bring back community spirit. Bring people closer. But, we shall see.
 
A lot of the anguish is they have nothing else in their lives and are used to being told what to do. In my opinion (only mine) some mighy have drug habits that are not being fulfilled too adding to this.
 
Exactly the point that Donald Trump made in his remarks about the economy but was heavily criticised.

And rightly so. We have a global pandemic on our hands. A disease which has killed many thousands of people around the globe and left many many more on life support in ICU. A virus which could mutate again and become even more deadly. We must suppress and ultimately kill this virus.

And without wanting to sound offensive (which I know I will) we'll worry about the people who can't cope because they've been asked to sit in the house for a couple of weeks once this virus is sorted.
 
Hope these players are getting the help they need.

It's worrying times indeed. Been saying for weeks that, if we have a worldwide economic depression, an increase in suicides, malnutrition and violent crime could end up costing more lives than the virus itself.

Glad I'm not a politician as they're stuck between a rock and a hard place having to decide what course of action to take.
 
I know we are all laughing at clubs potentially going bust and the majority of those clubs supporters laughed at us and willed us to go down but at the end of the day we should be better than them, better people than them. This is peoples lives, people think footballers above us all but in reality most footballers in Scotland are not earning the salaries people think they are and they are human, so when you earn more you life the lifestyle of having that extra cash. If the leagues are not starting for 5 months and clubs are not paying wages then that will have a huge impact on footballers in Scotland and the lower leagues of England. Maybe not in the top 5 leagues in the world because those guys are on average earning above 50k per week. If football is finished for 5 months, I would not be surprised to hear of footballers committing suicide or making attempts to do so.

Without any football happening other clubs will not be looking to sign players, so no chance of a new contract on the horizon if their contract is terminated.
I'm not laughing regarding any of this.
 
The fact a charity that looks to also help footballers is begging for money in an age where there are thousands of them earning millions of pounds a year is a fucking disgrace to be honest.
 
Mental health provision in Scottish football is very poor. Negligent by the sfa in particular.

the charity may or may not be doing lots of good stuff but their model of care is bullshit and unsustainable. Im not sure what counselling actually does - I’d be getting frustrated if a counselor was just listening - I’d imagine I’d want help and a meaningful intervention.
My Mrs founded a very similar charity in NI(turning point NI) they've been going 5 years see 200 + clientsna Ur for whatever amount of sessions required without public finding.every penny comes from fundraising and gifts.
There is more to counseling than just listening.and yes they do give meaningful intervention
 
If it wasn't for being allowed out to excersise I think i'd be on suicide watch.
Once this is all over I think people's attitude to life will change for the better and appreciate what we have no matter how small it may seem..
 
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