ALMOST a quarter of Scots say they don’t feel comfortable speaking about mental health in their communities, new research has found.

The findings come from See Me, the nationwide programme aimed at ending discrimination and stigma around mental health issues.

It found that 23% of adults in Scotland would not feel comfortable discussing the issue in their community.

And a third of those who are themselves experiencing mental health problems said they would not speak about it.

We all have mental health and that plays a huge part in our lives

The numbers come from a survey featuring more than 2000 adults in Scotland, which was carried out by the pollsters Censuswide earlier this year.

Around 1200 respondents said that they had experienced some sort of mental health issues.

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See Me has now launched a brand-new resource aimed at tackling the issue.

The organisation hopes the move will get people in communities across the country “talking about mental health, thinking about stigma, and challenging discrimination”.

The Communities Can pack includes a range of information, activities, tools and resources which can be used by community groups, schools, workplaces, sports clubs and more, to ensure that people are not treated differently, or unfairly, if they are struggling with their mental health.

The free resource is now available for download.

See Me champion Suzanne Baines, from Erskine in Renfrewshire, helped create the material.

The 48-year-old has been working to tackle stigma in her home town through her You Matter Always initiative, which aims to “empower people to believe in themselves” and is a member of the Renfrewshire Anti Stigma Alliance.

Baines said: “Communities are an integral part of society because they provide a sense of belonging and acceptance that connects us to civilisation in an inclusive, productive and meaningful way.

“I have lots of experience working with communities.

“This ranges from continually striving to silence mental health stigma and discrimination through walks, talks, tours, events, poetry etcetera in collaboration with my own family unit, friend’s groups, workplaces, online community and volunteering groups.”

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Toni Groundwater, social movement manager at See Me, commented: “We all have mental health and that plays a huge part in our lives, and any of us could go through a period where we struggle.

“People with mental health problems should be able to participate in society without fear of exclusion or discrimination. We want to grow a movement across the country, and want as many people as possible to join us in making a difference.

“You can start today by downloading our Communities Can pack.”

The material is available for download from the resource section of the See Me Scotland site.

This can be found at www.seemescotland.org/movement-for-change/.