Fife mental health charity backs plan for national strategy on self-harm

Penumbra backed the proposal which would see Scotland become the first country in the world with a dedicated strategy to supporting people who experience self-harm.

The charity, which has a support team in the Kingdom - and others across Scotland.

Its pioneering non-medical approach to mental health recovery support has seen it become the leading employer of peer support colleagues within the mental health field.

Stephen Finlayson, head of innovation and improvement, said: “Currently the national picture remains fragmented and many people continue to experience stigmatised attitudes.

“In addition to support, there’s an urgent need for more research to really understand the factors that lead people to feel the only way to manage their emotional distress is by causing harm to themselves.

“A coherent national approach will take this a long way forward.”

Thank you for reading this article on our free-to-read website. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by Coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

Please consider purchasing a subscription to our print newspaper to help fund our trusted, fact-checked journalism.

https://www.localsubsplus.co.uk/nord/dm/FFP/V