Mental Health, Social Isolation & Loneliness - Data
Consultations
Impact Assessments
Data
Mental health is described by WHO as ‘a state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community.’
10.7% of people in Midlothian identified themselves as living with a mental health condition that had lasted or was expected to last 12 months (2022 Census). This is a large increase from 4.2% in 2011. (In Scotland - 4.4% in 2011 to 11.3% in 2022).
16.9% of people in Midlothian had low wellbeing (Lothian Public Healthy Survey 2023).
19.8% of people in Midlothian were prescribed drugs for depression, anxiety and/ or psychosis (2023/24 ScotPHO).
There is a stark difference in prescription of these drugs based on deprivation, with 24.8% of the population in the most deprived areas of Midlothian (SIMD quintile 1) receiving a prescription compared to 15.5% in the least deprived areas of Midlothian (SIMD quintile 5).
Data source: Scottish Public Health Observatory
Loneliness & Social Isolation
- Social Isolation can be defined by the quantity of someone's social relationships and contacts.
- Loneliness is a subjective experience associated with a perceived gap in the quality and quantity of relationships that someone has and wants.
91% of people feel connected to friends and family (Midlothian Council, 2020)
8 out of 10 carers feel lonely or isolated (Carers UK).
Suicide
The figures in Scotland are a combination of two groups of causes of death: intentional self-harm and events of undetermined intent. For some deaths it is straightforward to determine the intention of the deceased. For other types of death, it is not. The international convention, followed in Scotland, is to include both types so that all suicides are captured.
To understand trends at a Midlothian level it is best to combine years into 5-year blocks as the number of events each year is small and therefore subject to quite wide fluctuation.
The Scottish EASR five-year rate per 100,000 for 2017-2021 of 14.1 is an increase on the previous 5-year rate (13.4). However, for the same time periods the latest rates for Lothian (11.8) and Midlothian (12.9) are a decrease from 2012-2016 (ScotPHO 2022).
Due to smaller numbers of suicides in Midlothian and duty to protecting individual identity, it is not possible to provide Midlothian age rates (ScotPHO, 2022). Across Scotland over the previous 10-year period from 2012-2021 there is a general consistency in trend with most suicides being amongst younger to middle-aged men from the most deprived areas (ScotPHO, 2022).
Page updated: February 2026