An increase in the number of people detained for mental health care during the pandemic, alongside a fall in safeguards associated with the orders requiring their detention, has been confirmed today by Scotland’s mental health watchdog.

The report also shows a clear relationship between levels of deprivation and inequalities in ethnicity in the likelihood of being detained.

A total of 6,699 people were assessed as needing to be treated for a mental illness against their will, using compulsory measures under legislation, in 2020-21 – 10.5% more than in 2019-20.

This rise is more than double the average year-on-year increase seen in previous years.

Julie Paterson, chief executive of the Mental Welfare Commission (MWC) who authored the report said:

“We don’t know why this is, but we are concerned.

“The question is whether more people in the population are becoming more seriously unwell every year … Or whether services are under such pressure that people wait too long, and only receive care and treatment once they have become so unwell they require to be detained.

“Whichever is the case, these rising numbers suggest that pressures on mental health services increased significantly last year.”

The role of Mental Health Officers (MHOs), who play a crucial part in supporting and safeguarding the rights of people who are vulnerable, has also declined – MHO consent to a detention order is at its lowest level in the past ten years, despite the MWC’s belief ‘this should happen every time a person is detained’.

Big variations exist across Scotland, with Dumfries and Galloway receiving MHO consent for four in five people being detained compared to Greater Glasgow and Clyde safeguarding only a quarter of detentions.

Two-third of Scottish local authorities currently face shortfalls of these specialist social workers, despite their consent being required every time a person is detained under legislation.

Experiences of mental health detention were found to be unequal across both levels of deprivation and ethnicity.

For all order types there was what the MWC calls ‘a clear gradient’ with a higher proportion of detentions of individuals from the most deprived parts of Scotland – over 30% of detentions of people came from the 20% most deprived areas of Scotland.

Those from an ethnic minority group experienced higher than proportional rates of detention orders, but this had changed little from previous years.

Ms Paterson said: “We hope that by sharing this information, and our data on ethnicity, geographical variations and many other aspects of detention, we can support government and services to ensure they provide the right levels of resource and support for vulnerable communities.”

 

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