#BlueMonday is widely recognised as “the most depressing day of the year”. But the fact is, it’s just a myth. We all experience highs and lows in our mental health throughout the year, not just on a random Monday in January. 
For more about the Blue Monday myth and some of our tips on taking care of your mental health, check out our blog: https://shorturl.at/8lDnn
Dear Editor,
January can be a particularly challenging time for mental health. The combination of shorter days, colder weather, financial pressures after Christmas, and a sense of anti-climax following the festive period can affect many of us. For members of the veteran community, these challenges can be even more pronounced.
Many veterans face ongoing issues linked to their service, including anxiety, depression, loneliness and difficulty adjusting to civilian life. During the winter months, feelings of isolation can intensify, especially for those living alone or with limited support networks.
At the RAF Benevolent Fund, we see first-hand how vital timely, accessible support can be. We offer a confidential Listening and Counselling Service, providing serving personnel, veterans and their families with a safe space to talk through challenges and access professional support. We are also preparing to launch an online wellbeing portal, which will give easy access to trusted mental health resources and self-help tools.
Loneliness is another major concern at this time of year. To help combat this, we run Telephone Friendship Groups and facilitate local veteran meet-ups across the country, helping people reconnect, share experiences and feel less alone during the darker months. In addition, our financial support can help relieve some of the pressures associated with higher energy bills and living costs over winter, which are often a significant source of stress.
No one in the RAF Family should feel they have to face these challenges alone. Support is available, and reaching out can be the first step towards making a positive change.
For more information, please visit rafbf.org or call 0300 102 1919.
Yours sincerely,
Dave Pinner
Head of Contact and Casework, RAF Benevolent Fund
Did you know that spending quality time with loved ones is one of the most common New Year’s resolutions?
The 1000 Hours Outside Challenge is a year-long invitation to swap screen time for fresh air, movement, and connection with loved ones.
Find out more 
www.1000hoursoutside.com
The EIS is developing a new education resource, in partnership with Civic Digits, which aims to provide educators with tools to engage learners in a better understanding of, and how to challenge, misogyny.
The new resource, ‘Many Good Men: Changing the Story about Online Misogyny’, will be the focus of an event at the Scottish Parliament on 20th January 2026.
The resource is based on a participatory theatre project, led by Civic Digits. Between 2023 and 2024, the project culminated in two groups of young participants, co-creating two different plays that explored misogyny, mental health and masculinity. The fictional characters within these stories are explored further within the education resource, which is aimed at upper Secondary and FE students.
Civic Digits also want to create more theatre projects with groups of young people across Scotland – empowering them to author their own solutions and make performances for their own communities.
Commenting on the new education resource, EIS General Secretary, Andrea Bradley said, “Every young person deserves to be safe, to be themselves and to flourish. Unfortunately, their ability to do so can be negatively impacted by misogyny.
“The influence of online spaces and algorithms is enabling the rapid spread of content that aims to perpetuate rigid gender stereotypes and justify harmful attitudes.”
EIS President Adam Sutcliffe said, “With rising violence and aggressive behaviours towards women workers, and with more and more women and girls feeling unsafe due to sexism, and boys and men under significant pressure to uphold misogynistic attitudes, a shift is urgently needed.
“These topics can be difficult to talk about, and learners can feel vulnerable, embarrassed or even withdrawn if asked to share their own experiences or opinions. Educational approaches that use fictional characters can open up the space for discussion and for exploring difficult topics and ideas, empowering learners to imagine how they might change the story.”
The resource is comprised of an educator pack with guidance, and a learning pack with activities for the classroom. The resource is just one part of the EIS’s wider work to address misogyny and gender-based violence in educational establishments and in society.
The EIS believes it is important that all educators are supported with designated time for professional learning and equipped with the confidence, skills and tools necessary to navigate these topics within their settings.
Scotland’s most distinctive celebration of beards, community and creativity returns to Drygate Brewery, Glasgow, on Friday 20th and Saturday 21st February 2026 for the Braw Beard Weekender – the only event of its kind in the UK.
Now in its eighth year, the beard competition is expected to welcome a full house once again, continuing a streak that has seen thousands of competitors and spectators attend since 2017 from across the UK, USA, Germany, Belgium and Norway.
On Friday 20th February, The Braw Cast Live podcast will be hosted by comedian Billy Kirkwood and Braw Beard founder John Jackson, with special guests including Jesse Leach, frontman of Grammy-nominated metal band Killswitch Engage.
Leach, who has been open about his own experiences with mental health, will discuss the importance of community, self-care and creativity.
He recently collaborated with Braw Beard on The Resilient beard oil, a limited-edition blend created by Jesse. He’ll be joined on stage by professional wrestler and actor Jack Jester, artist and author Tragic O’Hara and multi-award-winning barber Angela Dickson.
On Saturday 21st February, the Braw Beard & Moustache Championships return, featuring 13 categories ranging from Best Fake Beard to Over 12-inch Styled and Best Ginger Beard. The night will include live music from In Charge, exclusive products and the trademark camaraderie that defines the global beard community.
“It’s incredible to see how far this community has grown,” says John Jackson, founder of Braw Beard.
“What started as a small gathering to celebrate creativity and confidence has become an international family with people from around the world sharing respect, humour and a sense of belonging.”
Jesse Leach adds: “I’m honored to be part of the Braw Beard Weekender. To me the culture Braw Beard has created is not just about beards and facial hair, its about support, unity and solidarity!
“I am excited to make the journey and I am sure a good time will be had by all who attend! Grateful to be there for this event!”
The 2026 Weekender comes in the same year that Braw Beard will celebrate its 14th anniversary in October. Founded in 2012, the East Lothian company has grown into Scotland’s first and most recognised beard-care brand, known worldwide for its hand-crafted beard care products.
Proceeds from the event’s charity raffle will once again support Chris’s House Suicide Awareness Charity, a cause central to both Braw Beard and Leach’s advocacy for mental-health awareness.
With its mix of competition, conversation and compassion, the Braw Beard Weekender stands as a fixture in Scotland’s cultural calendar – part beard festival, part family reunion.
Tickets: Limited to 150 on Friday and 300 on Saturday.
Available now at www.thebrawbmc.com
Despite being called the “most wonderful time of the year”, for so many of us, the festive season doesn’t always bring joy.
In our latest blog, Aaron explores his own difficulties with Christmas as well as the challenges many of us face during the festive season and the steps we can take to help protect our mental health during this time.
You can read it now: https://shorturl.at/J4cHt
Between 2015 and 2025, the number of pupils with:
The Scottish Children’s Services Coalition (SCSC), an alliance of leading providers of specialist care and education to vulnerable children and young people, has raised concerns over massive increases in conditions contributing to additional support needs (ASN).
Noting that support is at breaking point, it has urged the public to put the political parties on the spot as to how they are going to address Scotland’s ASN crisis in the run up to the Scottish Parliamentary election next year.
The figures, based on an analysis of the latest annual Scottish Government pupil census,1 indicate that between 2015 and 2025 the number of pupils identified with a mental health problem, for which additional support is required, has increased by 526 per cent, those with communication support needs has risen by 296 per cent, those with dyslexia by 129 per cent, autistic spectrum disorder has increased by 252 per cent, social, emotional and behavioural difficulties by 144 per cent, those with a physical health problems by 142 per cent, interrupted learning by 497 per cent and those who are looked after by 42 per cent. (see table at end of the press release for full details).
This is against the background of a near doubling (95.5 per cent) between 2015 and 2025 in the overall number of pupils identified with ASN, from 153,143 to 299,445, representing 43.0 per cent of all pupils.2
The increase is in part due to better identification and diagnosis of these conditions, as well as the impacts of Covid-19, social media and the cost-of-living crisis.
While the level of need has increased dramatically, the level of support has not matched this, with cuts in the numbers of specialist ASN teachers and support staff.
The SCSC has repeated its call for greater resourcing by councils and the Scottish Government to support those with ASN, who disproportionately come from lower-income families and areas of deprivation.
The coalition also raised concerns about the effectiveness of a presumption of mainstreaming, that all pupils be educated in a mainstream educational environment unless specific exceptional circumstances apply, without the necessary classroom support.
This lack of support for those with ASN is also seen as a key cause of increased classroom violence and disruption, with a resultant impact on fellow pupils and staff.
A spokesperson for the SCSC said: “Given an escalating number of children and young people with ASN, it is vital that those requiring it get the care and support that they need.
“This is clearly difficult in an environment of austerity and budget cuts, highlighted by reductions in, for example, the number of ASN teachers.
“While we also support the presumption of mainstreaming, that all children and young people be educated in a mainstream educational environment unless specific exceptional circumstances apply, it is clearly difficult to see how this is functioning properly for all those with ASN given a fall in specialist support and dramatic increases in the number of those identified with conditions such as mental health problems and autism.
“The current system of provision is at breaking point, and we are witnessing increasing levels of classroom disruption, a key cause of this being the increase in the number of those with ASN, who are not receiving the support they are entitled to.
“The Scottish Government and councils need to work together to provide the necessary resourcing to address the needs of those children and young people with ASN, who represent some of the most vulnerable individuals in our society.
“We would urge the public to put the political parties on the spot as we approach the Scottish Parliament election next year and understand how they are going to address Scotland’s ASN crisis.”
Reasons for support for pupils with ASN (pupils may have more than one reason for additional support):
| Reason for support | 2025 | 2015 | % change on 2015 | ||||
| Total | Total | ||||||
| Number of those with ASN | 299,445 | 153,143 | 95.5 | ||||
| Dyslexia | 39,036 | 17,034 | +129 | ||||
| Other specific learning difficulty (e.g. numeric) | 30,720 | 17,552 | +75 | ||||
| Other moderate learning difficulty | 30,484 | 23,228 | +31 | ||||
| Visual impairment | 5,739 | 3,839 | +49.5 | ||||
| Hearing impairment | 4,376 | 2,736 | +60 | ||||
| Deafblind | 64 | 47 | +36 | ||||
| Physical or motor impairment | 8,618 | 7,528 | +14.5 | ||||
| Language or speech disorder | 20,758 | 14,704 | +41 | ||||
| Autistic spectrum disorder | 41,285 | 11,722 | +252 | ||||
| Social, emotional and behavioural difficulty | 77,405 | 31,684 | +144 | ||||
| Physical health problem | 21,961 | 9,059 | +142 | ||||
| Mental health problem | 14,638 | 2,338 | +526 | ||||
| Interrupted learning | 15,931 | 2,669 | +497 | ||||
| English as an additional language | 61,107 | 21,997 | +178 | ||||
| Looked after | 10,673 | 7,530 | +42 | ||||
| More able pupil | 3,075 | 3,123 | -1.5 | ||||
| Communication Support Needs | 19,374 | 4,894 | +296 | ||||
| Young Carer | 10,302 | 1,653 | +623 | ||||
| Bereavement | 7,261 | 1,304 | +523 | ||||
| Substance Misuse | 762 | 221 | +245 | ||||
| Family Issues | 31,885 | 9,700 | +229 | ||||
| Risk of Exclusion | 2,610 | 925 | +182 | ||||
| Learning disability | 12,241 | 15,324 | -20 | ||||
| Other | 25,406 | 14,156 | +79.5 |
COPING WITH GRIEF AT CHRISTMAS
Christmas is often portrayed as a season of wall-to-wall joy and celebration. But for those of us who have lost loved ones, this season can sometimes feel heavy and complicated.
Our CEO Mark reflects on his own journey with grief at this time of year and offers tips for those who may be struggling during the holidays.
Read the blog now: https://shorturl.at/USg13
Life can be wonderful. Life can be tough. Relationships. Work. Money. Loneliness. Mental health. Self-harm. We can all struggle. Any place. Any time. One in four of us have had suicidal thoughts.
Ahead of the 2026 Holyrood Election, leading national suicide prevention charity, Samaritans Scotland, is asking all political parties to make suicide prevention a priority, keeping it in mind across all policy areas to help people not only in their moment of need, but before they reach crisis point.
The charity says that suicide is and needs to be treated as an issue of inequality, with the rate of suicide mortality in the most deprived areas in Scotland being 2.5 times higher than the least deprived area. The charity says that tackling inequalities across Scottish society and in services is the only way to reduce the number of lives lost to suicide in our communities.
Developed alongside its Lived Experience Advisory Group, Samaritans Scotland’s manifesto outlines Five Priorities to Save Lives that it wants to see taken forward by the next Scottish Government.
These priorities include increasing funding for mental health services, delivering a minimum income guarantee, using workforce training to end stigma and discrimination, increasing support for people in prison, and increasing resourcing for community services.
The asks aim to target the root causes of circumstances that can contribute to someone experiencing suicidal thoughts and behaviour, before they reach crisis point.
Speaking at the launch event, Neil Mathers, Executive Director for Scotland, said: “As we look ahead to the 2026 election and next parliament, Scotland faces many big challenges. Our communities are still grappling with the cost of living, cuts to frontline services, and the ongoing impact of inequality on mental health and wellbeing.
“But there are also real opportunities at next year’s election to make lives better – to reduce poverty, improve wellbeing, to make sure the right support is there at the right time, and ultimately, to reduce deaths by suicide.
“Suicide remains one of the most urgent public health issues facing Scotland. At Samaritans Scotland, we’re calling on all political parties, candidates, and policymakers to make suicide prevention a real priority ahead of the election.”
Mark Diffley, Founder and Director of the Diffley Partnership, was in attendance to deliver an overview of the political landscape ahead of election day. It was highlighted that three out of four people in Scotland are already supportive of a Minimum Income Guarantee, with the top priorities of voters at the moment including healthcare and the cost-of-living crisis.
Research by Samaritans Scotland in partnership with Strathclyde University released last year indicated just how closely connected economic insecurity was with suicidal ideation, as well as the importance of social connection and community support networks, which is why the charity is urging politicians to prioritise these areas.
With the most recent probable suicide rate for people in prison in Scotland standing at 18.9 per 100,000 people, higher than the probable suicide rate of 12.7 per 100,000 in the general population, the charity is also calling for increased support for people in prison.
Nancy Loucks, Chief Executive of Families Outside, who was also in attendance, spoke about the potential for delivering a Minimum Income Guarantee for Scotland, saying: Having a Minimum Income Guarantee is so important.
“So much of what we see (at Families Outside) is a result of poverty and trauma. We expect prisons to solve problems that start much earlier. It’s about giving people the opportunities at the start, that prevent these issues from arising.”
Scott Thomson, member of Samaritans Scotland’s Lived Experience Advisory Group, said: “My key ask of the next Scottish Government would be to increase funding for mental health services.
“The NHS and frontline services are under too much strain; waiting lists are too long, and people need support now.
“Nurses and doctors are at a higher risk of suicide, with burnout and workplace pressures being significant factors. I think that by increasing funding towards these services, we can impact and potentially alleviate many other challenges that arise from a system that is struggling to cope with demand.”
Suicide is complex and touches every part of society. It is vital that politicians recognise the devastating impact that suicide has on people’s lives and make clear commitments to address the factors that contribute to suicide risk.
Services in Scotland are working tirelessly to improve the lives of the people that need support, but statutory mental health services must have greater investment to enable them to keep up with growing demand.
Suicide is preventable. Samaritans Scotland’s vision is that fewer people die by suicide, that people feel able to ask for help when they are struggling, and where the right support is available at the right time.
Read the full manifesto here.
Progress on waiting times for children and young people waiting for specialist mental health care has been maintained for a year, according to the latest statistics.
New figures from Public Health Scotland show that between July and September, 91.5% of children and young people started treatment within 18 weeks of referral to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS). This exceeds the national standard of 90%.
CAMHS provides specialist NHS support for children and young people with serious mental health needs. To provide alternatives to this specialist service, over £80 million has been invested in community mental health services, plus £16 million a year for school counselling.
From this year, £15 million annually will go to local authorities to maintain community-based support for children and young people who need it.
Mental Wellbeing Minister Tom Arthur said: “I welcome the continued progress in these specialist children and adolescent mental health services.
“Over the last year, these services have exceeded the national standard, with 91.5% of children and young people starting treatment within 18 weeks of referral to CAMHS in the latest quarter.
“This achievement is down to the dedication of our CAMHS staff, who work tirelessly to support families during some of their most difficult moments. We have invested significantly in strengthening services, increasing CAMHS staffing by more than 50% over the last decade and exceeding our commitment to fund 320 additional posts by 2026.
“Local CAMHS teams are responding quickly, with half of all children and young people beginning treatment within five weeks. We are also seeing positive signs, with the overall CAMHS waiting list decreasing by 5.3% in the previous year.
“While we continue working with Boards to reduce waiting lists, we recognise that services remain under pressure and that performance may vary in coming months. There is still more to do to ensure performance is consistent across the country, and we are supporting all NHS Boards to meet the standard and continue delivering improvements.”
The Scottish Children’s Services Coalition (SCSC), an alliance of leading providers of specialist care and education to vulnerable children and young people, is calling for parity of action and parity of spend as new figures highlight that 128 children and young people have been waiting more than a year for mental health treatment in Scotland.
These figures were highlighted in the latest waiting time statistics from Public Health Scotland published yesterday (2nd December, indicating that 128 children and young people had been waiting over a year for treatment from Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) in the quarter ending September 2025.
This is an increase from 115 for the same period last year.
Additionally, 277 individuals have been waiting between nine months and a year for treatment.
This comes against the background of a mental health emergency, with an increasing demand on services, exacerbated by the long shadow of the Covid lockdown and cost-of-living crisis.
The Scottish Government’s target, dating back to December 2014, is for 90 per cent of children and young people to start treatment within 18 weeks of referral to CAMHS.
Even before the Covid-19 pandemic, cases of poor mental health in children and young people were at unprecedented levels, with overstretched and under-resourced services struggling to keep pace with growing demand.
However, despite this greatly increased demand, only 0.82 per cent of the total frontline NHS budget was spent on CAMHS in the 2023/24 financial year, amounting to £134.188 million (real terms). This equates to just 82p in every £100 of the NHS budget. 2
A spokesperson for the SCSC commented: “The latest figures highlighting that 128 children and young people have been waiting over a year for mental health treatment are extremely alarming.
“While the fact that the Scottish Government is meeting its waiting time target is to be welcomed, many children and young people are still waiting years for help, which worsens their mental health and is a sure-fire way to add to their pain.
“What we need is not just parity of esteem between mental health and physical health, it’s parity of action and parity of spend.
“We are facing a mental health emergency, and many of our children and young people are at breaking point, with stress and anxiety reaching alarming levels as they battle with the long shadow of lockdown and the rising cost of living. This is also having a negative impact on classroom behaviour, affecting the young people concerned, their fellow pupils and staff.
“Each one of these statistics is an individual, and we would urge the Scottish Government to ensure the adequate resourcing of mental health services for our children and young people so that they can get the care and support they need, without lengthy waits.”
