1 in 9 Scots report mental health condition

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP today said that Scotland needs world-class mental health services after new figures showed around 1 in 9 Scots reporting having a mental health condition.

The data from Scotland’s census revealed that 11.3% of people reported a mental health condition in 2022, up from 4.4% in 2011. The numbers were particularly high amongst young people, with 15.4% of 16–24-year-olds reporting a mental health condition.

Mr Cole-Hamilton said:

“The conversation around mental health has changed dramatically over the last decade. It’s clear that more and more people are able to identify the symptoms and recognise when they need support.

“But they have been let down by the SNP Government which has repeatedly raided tens of millions from the mental health budget, adding to the agony of everyone trying to get help and causing services to be overwhelmed.

"The SNP promised to clear mental health waiting lists by March 2023, but thousands of children and adults are still waiting over a year and the treatment targets have never been met.

“Scotland needs world-class mental health services. Liberal Democrats would increase the tax on the social media giants who cause so much of the problem - a move that could fund more mental health support in schools, get more professionals close to where you live and ramp up the training of new staff and mental health first aiders.”