Question reference: S6W-00244
- Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
- Date lodged: 25 May 2021
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Current status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 4 June 2021
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what effect it considers that COVID-19 restrictions have had on mental health and on suicide rates.
Answer
We know that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a negative impact on many people’s mental health. The Scottish COVID-19 Mental Health Tracker study provides data which, alongside other sources, the Scottish Government use to track the mental health and wellbeing of the Scottish population. This provides insight into the potential impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic and restrictions on mental health and has allowed us to tailor our mental health policy response to the pandemic as needs evolve. We published Wave 1 of the Tracker Study in October 2020, and Wave 2 in February 2021.
In line with emerging needs, we published the Mental Health Transition and Recovery Plan on 8 October 2020. The Plan outlines the Scottish Government’s response to the impacts of COVID-19 and addresses the challenges that the pandemic has had, and will continue to have, on the population’s mental health. The Plan is comprehensive and contains over 100 actions, including actions on suicide prevention. We continue to work with our National Suicide Prevention Leadership Group and other key stakeholders on the Plan’s implementation.
There is currently no clear evidence on the pandemic’s impact on suicide rates in Scotland. Annual suicide statistics for 2020 will be published this August by National Records of Scotland. We recognise the importance of timely data on probable suicides to support local suicide prevention planning and are working closely with Public Health Scotland who will roll this out over the summer.