THE rate of reported mental health conditions in Scotland has more than doubled over the last decade, according to new figures.

Figures published today by the National Record of Scotland (NRS) show 617,000 people, 11.3 per cent of the Scottish population, reported having a mental health issue in the 2022 census, compared with 4.4 per cent in 2011.

Only the over-85s saw a fall as rates rocketed among the youngest respondents.

NRS’s Jon Wroth-Smith said: “In 2022, 15.4 per cent of people aged 16 to 24 reported having a mental health condition, up from 2.5 per cent in 2011.

“Females in this age group were twice as likely to report having a mental health condition, at 20.4 per cent compared to males at 10.5 per cent.

“It is now more common for younger people to report a mental health condition.

“This is the reverse of what we saw in 2011.”

SNP mental wellbeing minister Maree Todd said: “These findings show that people feel more able to come forward and talk about their mental health than they were in 2011, which I hope is a welcome sign that stigma is decreasing.”