Youngsters in the north-east living with mental illness have far greater difficulty accessing treatment than anywhere else in the country.
Shock figures released by NHS Grampian show that there are just 51.3 whole time equivalent medics per 100,000 of the population aged 18 and under.
This is dwarfed by neighbouring Tayside, which has almost two and a half times the rate, at 127.2 staff.
And across Scotland the rate is almost twice as high, at 92.8.
The region’s mental health service has faced a number of challenges in recent years due to a recruitment crisis.
On Tuesday, inspectors criticised the level of service at HMP and YOI Grampian in Peterhead due to a lack of nurses.
Last month, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon pledged another £250 million for mental health services over the next five years.
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But north-east politicians have called on the government to act quickly to ensure the board is given the proper support to help youngsters living with mental illness.
Lewis Macdonald, North-East MSP, said: “The figures are very telling, but I think it’s important to say Grampian has not had the same issues as other health boards, for example Tayside, where there is an ongoing inquiry into the service.
“This simply demonstrates how tough a job health staff in Grampian have if they’re dealing with the same type of pressures with half the staff as Tayside, it shows us how important it is that staff get support both locally and nationally.
“The Scottish Government recently announced more funding for mental health – it’s critical Grampian gets that support very quickly.”
Tom Mason, Scottish Conservative MSP for the north-east region, said: “These figures confirm what we have known for some time – Grampian is miles behind when it comes to mental health care for children and teenagers.
“Families in the north-east have access to the lowest amount of clinical staff in Scotland.
“Worse than that, the levels of staffing are around half the national average.
“This is unacceptable. I know the health board is doing what it can to address this issue, but the SNP government could be doing a lot more to help.”
The statistics will be discussed by the board at its meeting in Elgin today.
