The mother of a teenager who died by suicide after online bullying has shared a powerful message on World Mental Health Day, urging better understanding and services for those struggling with mental health.
Britney's story
Britney Mazzoncini, 16, died in July 2016 after taking an overdose of prescription medication. Her mother, Annette McKenzie, from Glasgow, has said that Britney had been taunted by online bullies and had hidden visits to her GP from her family.
McKenzie addressed the public petitions committee at Holyrood a year after her daughter's death, calling for a change in the law to prevent other young people from obtaining potentially deadly medication without their parents' knowledge.
A mother's plea
On World Mental Health Day (October 10), McKenzie, 44, took to social media to say "it's time to make a change" regarding the lack of services available for mental health.
She wrote: "World Health Day comes 11 days before what should be Britney's 27th birthday, but she won't ever see that day. On July 7, 2016, in the early hours, Britney took an overdose of prescription medication. We found her on her bedroom floor, something that no parent should ever have to see, a vision that haunts us."
McKenzie, who says she suffers from severe depression, anxiety, PTSD, and OCD, has lodged a petition at the Scottish Parliament urging a rethink on how GPs treat mental health conditions in young people. GPs still do not need parental consent to prescribe medication if a young person is deemed able to understand the nature and potential consequences of the treatment.
Call for change
McKenzie continued: "I still campaign today for mental health and more services, because we all know there aren’t any. That is why this year's theme for World Mental Health Day is so important - real voices and real change."
She added: "The campaign calls for their insights to directly drive policy, design services, and govern mental health systems, something I’ve been saying has been needed for a long time. I'm proud to say my petition evidence is still helping."
She concluded: "To others, I am strong, I cope so well. In reality, I survived my daughter's suicide but I died that day. Strong is not what I am. I reached out. I asked for help. I begged for help to be given none [because] they don’t have the time and the services to maybe save my life, like my daughter's life."
McKenzie's message ends with a call to action: "It’s time to stand up and be counted and help make a change. I am one, but I am one of many, and that is too many."
