People are most likely to hold positive views of young people as trustworthy and helpful to others, new research from the Scottish Government shows. The survey, published during the launch week of Year of Young People 2018 (above) examined the attitudes and perceptions of more than 1,000 adults towards 13-19 year olds. Continue reading Swinney: “More must be done to change attitudes to young people”
‘The best way to start to deal with a mental health problem is to talk about it’ – Michael Matheson, Minister for Public Health
More than a quarter of people have experienced a mental health problem and nearly half of those interviewed would not want other people to know if they had a mental health condition, according to new research.
These findings are revealed in the Scottish Social Attitudes Survey, commissioned by the Scottish Government to find out how attitudes are changing over time. The survey, published today, was carried out by ScotCen Social Research, and builds on previous surveys, the last one being in 2008.
Of the 1,500 people surveyed, 26 per cent said they had personally experienced a mental health problem at some point, with depression being the most common. This is similar to previous surveys.
A total of 47 per cent said that they wouldn’t want anyone to know if they were suffering from mental health problems, a slight increase from 44 per cent in the previous survey in 2008. However, of people who have actually experienced a problem, 85 per cent have talked to someone about it, slightly down on 88 per cent in the last survey.
Other findings include:
• 85 per cent of people with a mental health condition have told someone about their condition. Usually this is a friend or family member (80 per cent). Much smaller proportions (less than 20 per cent) had told someone at work.
• 37 per cent have experienced negative social impact as a result of their mental health – an increase from 23 per cent in 2008.
• 65 per cent of people said they knew someone who had a mental health problem, a similar level to 2008.
• 22 per cent have avoided a social event because of how they feared they would be treated, and 13 per cent have been discouraged from attending by someone else.
• 22 per cent of people said they were not willing to interact with a person with schizophrenia
The Scottish Government is tackling mental health discrimination and stigma by funding the campaign group See Me. See Me have held 22 events around Scotland since April 2014, reaching more than 1,200 people, and have supported 24 projects around the country.
Michael Matheson, Minister for Public Health, said: “This survey gives us some invaluable information about attitudes towards mental health, which helps us to better tackle the prejudices and misconceptions which still exist.
“It shows us that unfortunately there is still some stigma surrounding mental health. For that reason it’s all the more important that the Scottish Government continues our work to reduce the stigma suffered by people with mental health conditions. We fund See Me, which has just launched an anti-stigma campaign called ‘People like you will end mental health stigma and discrimination’.
“The best way to start to deal with a mental health problem is to talk about it. Also, if more people talk about their problems this will help to spread greater understanding and tolerance. This could be talking it through with a friend or family member, or going to your GP. There are treatments available that will help you to deal with your problems.”
Attitudes to Mental Health in Scotland: Scottish Social Attitudes Survey 2013 can be viewed read:http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/Recent
