A Kilwinning mum fears her son might take his own life in prison because mental health services are not taking him seriously.

The woman, who does not wish to be named, fears for the life of the 28-year-old, after she noticed self-harm scars on his neck that made him “look like Frankenstein”.

She wanted to tell her story after reading last week’s Herald report on a young mum who felt let down by North Ayrshire’s mental health team.

The woman, whose son has suffered from behavioural problems since childhood, said: “I worry that they’re going to phone me and tell me that my son’s died. He’s been crying out for help but no one’s listening. When he cuts himself it’s really bad; he looks like Frankenstein because he cut his neck and it’s all stitches.

“I have been saying for years and years that prison isn’t the place for my son. He’s been institutionalised so when he comes out, with the freedom, he doesn’t know how to cope. He comes out for a couple of months and then he’s back in for stupid things like drunken stuff. He can’t cope with society outside. I’ve always said if he got the help years ago, he probably would have been a lot better but because of the system [he isn’t].

“They can’t diagnose my child. They just take one look and say he’s fine. We’re not getting help, it’s always pass the buck to somebody else. I want answers.”

The woman said that her son had attempted to take his own life “many a time”, adding: “There is going to be one more time that that’s it, game’s over.”

Stephen Brown, director of Health and Social Care at North Ayrshire, apologised to the mum and urged her to contact the health team directly “so that we can discuss her concerns about her son. This allows us to investigate and provide feedback”.