Scotland's army of unpaid carers are putting their own health at risk while they look after someone.
A new report has found two in five carers delay their own medical treatment as a result of their caring responsibilities.
Many have delayed cancer screenings or hernia operations, according to the study.
The survey, released at the start of Carers Week, found that caring had a negative impact on the health of almost nine in 10 carers (87%) in Scotland.
Sandy Wilson, 49, from Glenrothes, Fife, has put off an endoscopy appointment to establish whether she has an ulcer.
She cares full time for son Alastair, 29, who has learning difficulties and was born with a bowel problem, which has resulted in frequent hospitalisation all of his life.
"At one point, my doctor gave me antidepressants, but I stopped taking the medication because I didn't have the energy to look after Alastair," she said.
"I was also supposed to go for an appointment for an endoscopy to check out if I've got an ulcer, but I put it off because I didn't know what would happen to Alastair if I was in hospital.
"When you're on your own, you just have to get on with it. But sometimes you just don't want to get up in the mornings. I just feel like giving up sometimes."
The survey questioned 322 unpaid carers in Scotland and found that nearly two thirds - 62% - blamed their poor health on a lack of practical support and 51% on not having enough financial support.
Florence Burke, director for Scotland for The Princess Royal Trust for Carers in Scotland, one of the Carers Week charity partners, said: "Carers and young carers in Scotland are vital in sustaining the health and wellbeing of others; yet too often sacrifice their own health.
"We'll continue to work to make sure that statutory providers take account of carers and their needs and that the specialist services provided by local carers' centres receive continued funding for the essential role they play in easing the caring journey."
For more information on Carers Week, visit the STV Health Centre, brought to you by NHS inform.
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