New figures from Scotland’s Census show the number of people who reported having a mental health condition more than doubled between 2011 and 2022.
Local figures for Orkney show an even larger increase
| Number of people with a mental health condition in Orkney | |
| 2022 census | 2,166 |
| 2011 census | 598 |
In 2022 617,100 people reported in the census that they had a mental health condition. The census form described this as a condition that affects your emotional, physical and mental wellbeing.
The increase from 4.4% to 11.3% of the population was the biggest change across the range of categories listed in the census question on health conditions.
A large increase in the number of younger people reporting mental health conditions is behind the increase.
During the Covid-19 pandemic lockdowns mental wellbeing was thrown into the spotlight as the imposed limited social interaction permitted seriously affected many people of all ages. Young people were deprived of in person schooling and of social activities. For those in residential care homes visitor restrictions meant that families were unable to be with residents.
The lockdowns also revealed how important access to outdoor spaces is – public parks and gardens where people can walk and interact with nature.
All the lessons we should have learned about the importance of social interaction and of our environment seems to have been lost . What is of great credit to the younger generation who were deprived of so much in person schooling is that they continued to perform so well in national qualifications.
Worryingly support for mental health services continues to be under funded.
Commenting on the latest results from Scotland’s 2022 census Director of Census Statistics Jon Wroth-Smith said:
“In 2022 15.4% of people aged 16 to 24 reported having a mental health condition up from 2.5% in 2011.
“Females in this age group were twice as likely to report having a mental health condition at 20.4% compared to males at 10.5%.
“There were also increases in older age groups but the biggest increases were seen in younger groups and it is now more common for younger people to report a mental health condition. This is the reverse of what we saw in 2011.”
Earlier on this month The Orkney News reported on a partnership between NHS 24, Police Scotland, and the Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) streamlining how patients receive mental health support in Scotland. You can read about that here:
These figures are extremely concerning. It could also be that there is less stigma attached to mental health and so people feel that they can report that they are in need of support. However, the support is lagging way behind and is not there for so many Scots both young and old.
These figures should be a wake up call to politicians at all levels of government that mental health is a public health issue and needs the finance and support required to bring these concerning statistics down.
Fiona Grahame