Half of Scots are concerned about the impact the cost of living crisis is having on their mental health, new research by the Royal College of Psychiatrists in Scotland has found.
A YouGov poll of more than 1,063 adults in Scotland revealed 52 per cent were concerned about the impact.
Eighty-two per cent thought demand for mental health services will increase in the future.
The survey also showed the issues that people are most concerned about impacting on their mental health.
Eight-five per cent said rising energy costs, 79 per cent rising food costs while 31 per cent cited increasing debt.
Meanwhile, 27 per cent of Scots said they had experienced a new episode of poor mental health over the past year.
The Royal College of Psychiatrists in Scotland has called on all SNP leadership candidates candidates to look at prioritising mental health.
The College also wants to see a reverse on the freeze on mental health budgets in 2023/24 and an increase in the mental health workforce, as demand for services is set to soar.
Vice-chair of the college Dr Jane Morris said: “These are deeply worrying statistics and encapsulate the feelings of Scottish people about how the current cost of living crisis is affecting everyone’s mental health.
“There is already plenty of evidence that financial stress is associated with worse physical and mental health. The opposite is also true: poor health is likely to lead to impaired financial management."
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