The number of Scots suffering mental health problems doubled during lockdown, with young adults, women and those living in deprived areas among those most affected.

A major study carried out during May and June this year, when covid restrictions were at their peak, found just over 35% of respondents reported “high levels of psychological distress”.

That compares with only 17% of people in a health survey carried out in 2019.

The Scottish Covid-19 Mental Health Tracker Study warns that particular groups are more likely to have higher levels of mental health problems.

Around 45% of young adults aged 18-29 years old reported moderate to severe levels of depressive symptoms, compared to around 25% for those ages 30 and over.

More women than men had symptoms at nearly 28% compared to 25%, while around 31% of those living in more deprived areas had problems compared to 21% from the most affluent areas.

However respondents who were most at risk of covid-19 had lower levels of depressive symptoms.

The reports suggests this could be because most people in this category are over-60s, and mental health appears to be more protected in this older age group.

The biggest source of stress was feeling cut off from friends and family, which affected around 45% of people.

Just over a third said they had been sleeping badly, while around three in ten said they had less of a sense of purpose.

Around a quarter said they were finding the restrictions on socialising difficult to cope with, but a similar proportion said they were enjoying spending more time with family.

More than seven out of ten said they had mostly stuck to the rules of only going outside for food or health reasons or essential work.

However around a fifth reported they had rarely followed the guideline on never meeting anyone outside their household, even friends and family.

The Scottish government has published a covid mental health recovery plan, promising to focus on key groups including children and young people, people facing redundancy and those with long-term health conditions.

Mental Health Minister Clare Haughey said: “We know that the pandemic has brought about new and substantial challenges for everyone in Scotland. As this report indicates, our mental health is no exception to this.

“Supporting and promoting good mental health is a priority for the Scottish government. Since the beginning of the pandemic we have invested £6m in dedicated funding to support mental health.

“This research provides timely, Scotland-specific data that will help us to target support where and when it is needed most.”

 

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