SCOTLAND is “failing some of its most unwell citizens” and its next government must put mental and physical health on an equal footing, psychiatrists have warned.

The call for equal funding came in the Royal College of Psychiatrists’ (RCP) manifesto, published just days before Scotland goes to the polls.

Launching the document today, RCP Scotland chairwoman Dr Jane Morris said: “There is no health without mental health — and Scotland is currently failing some of its most unwell citizens.

“People with severe mental illnesses still die, on average, 15 to 20 years earlier than the rest of the population.

“Most of these deaths are not from suicide, but from preventable physical illness.

“It is the foreseeable result of underinvestment, structural discrimination and systems that do not reach those who need them most.”

Dr Morris said that putting mental illness on an equal footing with physical illness “should be an election test, not an afterthought,” adding: “Psychiatrists stand ready to work on a cross‑party basis with the next government to rebuild mental health services.

“The cost of delay will be measured in lives.”

SNP candidate for Rutherglen and Cambuslang Clare Haughey said: “Under the SNP, our NHS has a record number of staff employed to provide mental health support and our mental health budget for the year exceeds £1.5 billion.

“A re-elected SNP government will expand Scotland’s NHS 24 Mental Health Hub to include psychological therapies — and we will also invest an additional £3.5 million this year to make it easier for people to get the help they need.”

Scottish Labour health spokeswoman Jackie Baillie said: “These stark warnings must be listened to, but the only way to deliver the change we need is with a change in government.”