An Angus man who went public with his battle with mental illness has taken Katie Hopkins to task.
St Andrews University student Ben Lawrie phoned Hopkins up after taking umbrage at comments made by the controversial columnist on her LBC radio show.
Hopkins – who has been branded ‘the most hated woman in Britain’ – was asking if young people are being ‘over-diagnosed’ with depression when they were actually ‘just a bit sad’.
“With one in five kids having a mental disorder, Katie Hopkins thinks that doctors are too quick to diagnose children with mental issues,” said Ben.
“She was asking if young people are ‘over-diagnosed’ with mental health issues and whether a lot of people who are depressed are just a bit sad.
“This annoyed me because a lot of people with mental issues go through a lot of self-doubt already and feel like they’re wasting people’s time when they seek help and if they were to hear this then it could reaffirm their anxieties
“I disagreed saying that we still know very little about mental illness and that even the phrase ‘mental issue’ is very vast because it can cover a lot of things.”
Ben told Hopkins that mental health issues were historically under-diagnosed up until recent times when a lot more is now known about it.
Hopkins asked him if it was “realistic” and “reasonable” that one in five kids has a mental disorder before the age of 14.
Ben was set to argue the parallel with the amount of people who suffer from a physical disorder when Hopkins tried to change the subject.
The conversation then switched to Ben’s hayfever before he managed to get things back on topic
“It’s the same with a lot of mental issues,” he told her.
“Sometimes if it is caught quite early it’s a pill a day or maybe six weeks of therapy once a week and you are good to go again.”
Hopkins thanked Ben for his call and described him as “very wise”.
Never thought I'd see the day when @KTHopkins called me "very wise!" Listen to us talk about #MentalHealth at: https://t.co/ihQMJbzrKq
— Cllr Ben Lawrie (@CllrLawrie) May 30, 2016
Ben struggled with depression while studying social sciences at Dundee College, despite doing really well in his coursework and being in a happy relationship.
After trying to take his own life in 2013 Ben made a blog post last year about his struggles and was overwhelmed by the reaction it received.
Within a fortnight over 6,000 people had read his blog and he received dozens of messages from strangers thanking him for sharing his story.
He is currently working on a documentary about his experiences with Dundee filmmaker Stuart Burns, based on the blog he wrote.
Big Brother runner-up Hopkins came under fire for ridiculing depression last year following the Germanwings plane tragedy which was deliberately crashed by co-pilot Andreas Lubitz.
The 41-year-old said people suffering from depression need ‘a pair of running shoes and fresh air’ and told suicidal people ‘to top themselves in private.’
She said: “People with depression do not need a doctor and a bottle of something that rattles.
“They need a pair of running shoes and fresh air.
“Most depression is just genuine sadness at a social situation.
“Like being caught in torrential rain with a bag from Primark.”