A YOUNG mum with a history of severe mental health problems says she is at breaking point and being denied help.

Hollie McGrath, 21, is suffering from severe mood swings but has been told she will have to wait until September to see a psychiatrist.

She says she was due to have an appointment on June 20 but the letter didn’t arrive and when she asked for another date was told she wasn’t an ‘urgent’ case.

Hollie, who lives with her 22-month-old son Roman, pictured, in Branchton, said: “I’m at the point of giving up — I’m struggling.

“I called because I hadn’t heard anything about my appointment and discovered that unbeknown to me I had missed an appointment because I didn’t get a letter.

“I spoke to a service manager and they said they would speak to my community psychiatric nurse (CPN) but she never got back to me.

“I called back and spoke to a secretary and she told me I wasn’t an urgent enough case and I would get another appointment in September.”

Hollie says she thought she would be looked at as a priority as she suffered post-natal depression when her son was born and was placed in the care of perinatal mental health experts.

She said: “They know from my records that I have had suicidal thoughts.

“How can they leave me from May to September?

“It doesn’t seem right.

“My health has been terrible and it’s been a struggle coping with the wee one.

“It’s hard to hide how I’m feeling from him.

“I feel I have anger issues and I’m struggling to cope.

“I’ve explained all this to the CPN but I feel like giving up.”

Hollie’s CPN visits regularly and she has started compiling a mood diary to be passed to the psychiatrist to help diagnose her condition, but she says this is hopeless if she can’t see him.

She said: “Only the psychiatrist can make a proper diagnosis and change my medication.

“The medication for depression and anxiety is not working.”

A spokeswoman for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said:

“The community mental health team provides a multidisciplinary approach to support for individuals where input can be stepped up or stepped down in terms of frequency and intensity based on an individual’s needs.

“Where appointments are missed by patients the team make every effort to reschedule as soon as possible unless the patient has been assessed as requiring urgent support.

“Clinic appointments are scheduled in advance and fitting in patients who have missed their appointment is dependent upon another patient cancelling.”