Health and Care Experience Survey 2023/24: Mental Health Analysis

Personal Characteristics

The survey collects data about respondents’ personal characteristics. This provides information on how people from different demographic groups experience care.

People who received treatment or advice from their General Practice for a mental health reason were more likely to be female, with 64% female and 36% male. This compares to 58% female and 42% male for those who received treatment or advice for other reasons.

Figure 8: Sex of respondents who received treatment or advice for a mental health reason

A comparison of the sex of people who received treatment or advice for a mental health reason compared to those who received treatment or advice for other reasons in Scotland in 2023/24. The chart shows what percentage of those who received treatment or advice for a mental health reason were male and female, and what percentage of those who received treatment or advice for other reasons were male and female.

Both the percentage of people who received treatment or advice for a mental health reason and who received treatment or advice for other reasons increase with people’s age.

However, the pace of the increase is higher for reasons other than mental health, likely because of increasing physical health issues that become more common at older age.

Although the trend is for increasing percentages in older age groups, the percentage of people who received treatment or advice for a mental health reason is higher in younger age groups than for those who received treatment or advice for other reasons.

• 38% of people who received treatment or advice for a mental health reason were aged 17-44, compared to 17% of those who received treatment or advice for other reasons
• 19% of people who received treatment or advice for a mental health reason were aged 65 or over, compared to 48% of those who received treatment or advice for other reasons

Figure 9: Age of respondents who received treatment or advice for a mental health reason

A comparison of the age of people who received treatment or advice for a mental health reason compared to those who received treatment or advice for other reasons in Scotland in 2023/24. The chart shows what percentage of those who who received treatment or advice for a mental health reason were in each age group, and what percentage of those who received treatment or advice for other reasons were in each age group.

The Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) gives an estimate of area deprivation in Scotland. By linking respondents to their area of residence, we estimated whether or not they live in an area of high deprivation.

The graph below splits respondents into five groups, depending on the level of deprivation of their area of residence, with 1 being the most deprived and 5 being the least deprived.

People who received treatment or advice for a mental health reason were more likely to live in a deprived area than those who received treatment or advice for other reasons. 24% of those who received treatment or advice for a mental health reason lived in the most deprived areas compared to 15% of those who received treatment or advice for other reasons.

Figure 10: SIMD level of deprivation of respondents who received treatment or advice for a mental health reason

A comparison of the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) of people who received treatment or advice for a mental health reason compared to those who received treatment or advice for other reasons in Scotland in 2023/24. The chart shows the percentage of people from each SIMD quintile.