SAMH comment on national adolescent mental health study

30th January 2020

New research has revealed insights into the mental health, wellbeing and general health of adolescents and young people in Scotland.

The Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study is carried out every four years in Scotland, key findings include 22% adolescents rated their health as ‘excellent’ but 15–year-old girls were the least likely to report ‘excellent’ health (12%). The most common health complaints were sleep difficulties, feeling nervous and feeling irritable.

Carolyn Lochhead, Head of Communications and Public Affairs at SAMH said:

“It’s encouraging to see some positive trends for young people in this report. However, it’s clear that adolescent girls in particular are at greater risk of poor mental health. So it’s important that all young people grow up with an education in mental health, learning how to keep themselves well and where to go should they need help. And, given the clear link this report shows between lower income and poorer health and wellbeing, we must make sure that support is easily and quickly accessible to all young people: equal access to the right help is essential”.