In many parts of Scotland, Halloween has become something of a big deal in recent years. Trick-or-treating is a serious business, and great care is taken over costume selection to deliver maximum frights.

The range of costumes on display seems to change every year. But unfortunately one thing that has not changed recently is the spate of outfits that treat mental ill health as something we should be scared of. Most of you will have seen variations on the ‘escaped mental patient’ costume over the years. These costumes have persisted despite that fact that people suffering from mental ill health are far more likely to be victims of violence than vice versa.

This might seem a minor issue. But tackling stigma around mental ill health is hugely important. One in four of us will experience an episode of mental ill health during our lifetimes. ‘See Me’, a charity working to end mental health stigma and discrimination, launched their 2014 campaign this month.

We have seen a number of celebrities come forwards to describe their own experiences of mental ill health to help break the taboo. But despite the progress that has been made to tackle stigma there is still a long way to go. It is also clear that urgent improvements are required in our mental health services too.

In the past there has been a tendency to treat mental health services as a second-class branch of our NHS. This needs to change. I was pleased that Nick Clegg chose to make boosting mental health services the highlight of his party conference speech in Glasgow.

Liberal Democrats in government argued successfully for physical and mental health services to be treated equally by law. This helps ensure that the needs of people suffering with mental ill health cannot be overlooked. At the moment, the same safeguard does not apply in Scotland.

We also need to see more resources put into these life-saving services to ensure that vulnerable people get the help they need at the time they need it. We know that the existing provision just does not cut it, and Forth Valley is one of the areas affected worst by this underinvestment.

Earlier this year, figures showed that across the NHS Forth Valley area, there is only one applied psychologist for every 13,700 people. That is the worst staff to patient ratio outside of the Scottish Islands. We also know that around half of all Scotland’s NHS boards are missing important treatment time targets.

During recent debate at Holyrood on the Scottish Government budget, I asked the Finance Secretary to work with Liberal Democrats to help ensure that mental health services get the investment they need. His response was positive and I will be working with the Government to see what improvements can be made by the time Halloween comes round next year.