Mikeysline (SCO46574) is delighted to have been chosen as beneficiary of the Women of Achievement Lunch for 2023. All donations will go towards funding our services providing vital support to those in emotional distress, experiencing isolation and loneliness, struggling with their mental health, self-harming and/or at risk of suicide.

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Mikeysline is a Highland based multi-award-winning mental health and suicide prevention charity formed in 2015 out of tragedy to offer hope.

We provide support 365 days a year, through text-based options and 1:1 face to face support. We also operate a young persons service, providing individual support to pupils in secondary schools as well as delivering workshops across school year groups on mental health awareness and suicide prevention. This year we have begun working with the senior pupils in primary schools too and also support parents through group workshops to help them understand how best they can communicate with and support their young people who are struggling with their emotions and mental wellbeing.

Our focus is on supporting those in emotional distress, experiencing isolation and loneliness, struggling with their mental health, self-harming and/or at risk of suicide. We actively support people of all ages who come to us at an early stage with their issues and provide early intervention support, including coping strategies for the future, through to those in crisis with a plan to complete suicide. Individuals self-refer or can be referred by others and can access support for as long as they need to.

As well as providing direct support, we place a high emphasis on raising awareness about mental health and suicide prevention. We aim to breakdown the barriers that stop people reaching out when they most need support due to fear of being judged and the stigma that can still surround mental health and suicide. We do this through having key ambassadors to help us relay our key messages, through recruiting Mikeysline youth champions in schools and in working with many local sports groups, clubs and businesses to keep the conversations and education going.

In Scotland, 2 people lose their life each day to suicide and whilst Scotland has the highest suicide rates in the UK, Highland has the highest suicide rate per capita.

Over the past 18 months, Mikeysline has seen a huge increase in people needing our support. Fundraising events like this are so important as they ensure that we can continue to offer current levels of support as we receive no statutory funding, whilst also supporting the ongoing development and expansion of our face to face services into more areas of Highland and Moray.

We at Mikesyline are passionate about making a difference to peoples lives, about reaching people at an early stage so that they do not go on to develop more significant mental health issues later in life and our ultimate aim is to save lives, tackling head on the issue of suicide in the Highlands and Moray.

There are many reasons why our work with both adults and young people is so crucial and why we need to continue to reach even more people, especially in the more rural areas where there are less support services, less opportunities, less hope and increasing mental health issues and suicide rates. Here are a couple of reasons:

Suicide:

In the UK, suicide is the biggest killer of men under 50 and young people age 16-24.

Highland has the highest suicide rate per population in Scotland and in the UK. Although men are 3 times more likely to complete suicide than women, 4 times as many women attempt suicide each year and the percentage of women completing suicide is increasing.

Rates of suicide in Highland are higher for all ages than the average for Scotland, particularly age range 25-34.

Mental health support and early intervention

20% of adolescents may experience a mental health problem in any year

50% of mental health problems are established by age 14

75% by the age of 24

Early intervention/support can prevent more significant mental health issues later in life and can save lives.

Suicide rates in young Highland women (15-24) are currently more than double the Scottish average.

It is, therefore, so important that we reach people at an early stage.

Stigma around mental health and suicide:

Stigma is a known barrier to help-seeking

Research shows that stigma in the Scottish Highlands is higher than in rural areas in other countries.

It is, therefore, crucial that the work on reducing stigma and encouraging open conversations continues.

Mikeysline a small charity with a huge reach already in Highland and even more potential to reach so many more people, both in terms of providing direct support and in raising that crucial awareness that its ok not to be ok and the importance of being able to talk about issues that are impacting on our mental wellbeing and lives.