People living in Scotland’s most deprived areas are three times more likely to be admitted for psychiatric treatment than those in the wealthiest, new figures have revealed.
According to latest Public Health Scotland statistics, there were 3,910 mental health patients taken to hospital from the 20 per cent least wealthy communities.
But among those living in the most affluent areas, there were 1,295 admissions.
Pro-UK campaign group Scotland in Union said the figures show the Scottish Government is failing both on mental health and tackling inequalities.
The figures also revealed stark geographical differences.
In health boards covering Glasgow, Ayrshire and Arran, and Lanarkshire, people in the most deprived neighbourhoods were seven times more likely to be admitted for psychiatric care.
The gulf in places like the Borders and Dumfries and Galloway was far lower, whereas in the NHS Lothian and Grampian regions, those from the wealthiest areas were more likely to be admitted.
Pamela Nash, chief executive of Scotland in Union, said:
“It’s well-documented that people living in Scotland’s most deprived areas have worse physical health outcomes than those living in the wealthiest.
“Now we can see that this problem extends to mental health too.
“It’s blatantly unfair that someone is far more likely to require psychiatric care just because of where they live.
“It’s a sign that the Scottish Government is failing both on mental health and on tackling inequalities.
“People expect their government to be fully focused on issues such as these, not distracted by grievance and constitutional obsession.”
The full report can be seen here.
It shows the following number of patients admitted for psychiatric care in Scotland in 2022/23 from the most to the least deprived:
1. Most deprived – 3,910
2. 2,970
3. 2,100
4. 1,680
5. Least deprived – 1,295
The full breakdown can be accessed by clicking “data explorer” and then the “deprivation” tab.
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