A majority of north-east children with mental health problems are left waiting months for NHS treatment.
Stark new figures lay bare the scale of the crisis in care for young people suffering from issues like anxiety and depression.
Almost 60% of under-18s – 83 children – had to wait more than 18 weeks for treatment in NHS Grampian, according to the latest government figures.
Across the country, those waiting for more than a year for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAHMS) care trebled.
Mental Health Minister Maureen Watt admitted the figures were “simply not good enough”.
A spokesman for the Scottish Children’s Services Coalition (SCSC) said: “These statistics, which highlight that half our health boards are failing to meet waiting time targets, should act as a wake-up call to the Scottish Government as it consults on its new Mental Health Strategy.”
In NHS Grampian, 41% of children were seen within 18 weeks between April and June this year, while in NHS Highland 97% were seen within the target.
The Scottish Liberal Democrats’ Alex Cole-Hamilton added: “In Grampian … we are still seeing average waits that mean children are stranded without treatment months longer than should be the case.
“The big improvements we have seen in Tayside show what can be achieved.
“But hundreds of vulnerable children and their families are still being let down.”
The Scottish Government’s Mental Health Minister, Maureen Watt, who represents Aberdeen South and North Kincardine, said: “The continued and substantial increase in demand for child and adolescent mental health services clearly show that in the past there far too many children who were unseen and whose need was unmet for far too long.
“To respond to this we have doubled the number of psychologists working in CAMHS.
“We are also investing an additional £150million over five years, and will be publishing a new mental health strategy at the end of the year.
“I have been clear with boards that any falls in performance towards the challenging 90% target, or children experiencing long waits, is simply not good enough.”
A spokesman for NHS Grampian added: “Like elsewhere in Scotland, staff vacancies and challenges in recruiting have had a significant impact on waiting times for CAHMS.
“We are working hard to address these issues through active recruitment campaigns however, in the meantime, we are targeting the longest waiting patients as well as responding to patients with urgent requirements as soon as possible.”
