Mental health services in Lanarkshire need to drastically improve say local politicians.
It follows the tragic case of David Timlin, 51, who walked in front of a train less than an hour after leaving ward 19 of Hairmyres Hospital in East Kilbride.
He died six days later on Christmas Eve with his family now calling for answers as to why he was discharged from hospital.
His case has led to questions over the provision of mental health services across the wider area.
Monica Lennon, Labour MSP for Central Scotland, said: "There are serious questions to be answered about the provision of mental health services in Lanarkshire, including at Hairmyres.
“People are urged to seek help, however, too often the help is inadequate and we have seen this end in tragedy time and time again.
“If the Scottish Government is serious about preventing avoidable deaths, it must agree to an urgent independent review of mental health services and start listening to people and their families about their experiences.”
Meanwhile, Tory counterpart, MSP Graham Simpson, said: "It is is a very upsetting case and David's family are clearly devastated.
"The health board should take their concerns seriously and they deserve answers.
"Too many people across Scotland are not getting the treatment they deserve right now.
"We had a mental health crisis prior to the pandemic and it is worse now."
While, the founder of his own mental health support group, MyND Over Matter, James Downie from East Kilbride said: "The MyND Over Matter community from up and down the country are saying is that there is a big backlog in appointments to be seen by community psychiatric nurses and counsellors.
"This is having a massive negative impact on peoples mental health and this is why we exist.
"We have people from all over the country who come on our daily live videos to share their stories and help each other.
"We see ourselves as a beacon of hope for people that are out there feeling alone or thinking of taking their own life and hopefully prevent these tragedies from happening. Most people out there are waiting to be seen and while they are we can be that light in the darkness.
"We are already creating a mental health support group every Wednesday evening starting on the January 19 at Waist Not Want Not at Greenhills shopping centre.
"Within this course we will facilitate talking groups , walking groups , MYNDfulness to help people develop the tools to manage their mental health. This is open for men and woman from the age of 18 upwards."
Ross McGuffie, chief officer of health and social care North Lanarkshire, said: "NHS Lanarkshire would like to reassure residents that a range of mental health support is available 24/7.
"All individuals will be assessed and an appropriate risk assessment will be carried out.
“A pan-Lanarkshire mental health strategy was launched in 2019 as a shared vision to deliver a strategic plan to transform mental health and wellbeing in Lanarkshire. The pandemic impacted on implementation of these plans but work is now back underway."
A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: "Every suicide is a tragedy with far reaching effects on those left behind. It is important for people to know there is help available. Anyone in need of support can contact their GP or call the NHS 24 helpline.
"People can also find support online, through NHS Inform, and on both the Samaritans and Breathing Space websites."
The Scottish Government also said they continue to work to improve specialist services, address long waiting times, and clear waiting list backlogs with mental health expenditure rising from £651 million in 2006-07 to £1.077 billion in 2019-20 – a 65 per cent increase.
They are also developing a new long-term suicide prevention strategy for Scotland for publication in September 2022, working with COSLA and stakeholders on the new strategy.
People can call Samaritans on 116123, email jo@samaritans.org or call Breathing Space on 0800 838587 or, for more direct support, they can contact their GP or NHS24 on 111.
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