EXCLUSIVE: The new figures have been pounced on by Scottish Labour.
Labour have criticised the SNP Government over waits for mental health treatment.(Image: Getty )
The number of Scots adults waiting for mental health treatment on the NHS has soared to nearly 24,000.
Figures unearthed by Labour also show the number of patients waiting more than a year for help also risen.
The Record revealed last year that First Minister John Swinney had taken personal control of the health service amid fears the NHS could cost the SNP the Holyrood election.
In his Record column, Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar has revealed new stats exposing long waits.
He wrote: “Right now mental health services in Scotland are being pushed to breaking point, with nearly 24,000 adults in Scotland on NHS waiting lists for psychological therapy.
“Of these, more than 2,000 have been waiting more than a year for help – that’s more than one in 12.
“In parts of Scotland the picture is even more desperate, with a third of patients waiting for over a year for mental health support in some Health Boards.”
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He added: “The number of people enduring these long waits is now at its highest point since 2022, having soared by nearly 40 per cent over the last year.
“Compared to the same point in 2014, the number of adults waiting over a year for mental health treatment is a staggering 35 times higher.
“We tell people struggling with their mental health to reach out and seek help, but those who do are left waiting months or even years on end.”
It comes after we revealed a young Scot waited over six years for mental health treatment on the NHS.
The 2,291 day wait in NHS Lothian came amid growing criticism of the SNP’s running of the health service.
A partnership of 17 organisations has also published a Holyrood election manifesto demanding action to tackle the “mental health emergency”.
Gordon Johnson, policy lead for Scotland’s Mental Health Partnership, said: “There must be immediate and decisive action from the next Government. The time for talking and planning has passed. We are now in a mental health emergency, and we need bold and ambitious measures that will address this crisis.
“We are far away from success. A great deal of work is required to tackle the mental health emergency in Scotland. This manifesto of coherent and connected proposals will enable significant progress to be made.
“The focus for the next Government needs to be achieving radical change that will lead to sustainable support and services that can ultimately deliver better long-term mental health outcomes for Scotland’s people.
“We look forward to working in partnership with that Government to implement these proposals.”
The manifesto addresses the partnership’s framework of the three Ps – Promote, Prevent and Provide.
They aim to ensure that there are commitments to increase resources for early intervention and prevention, and provide a choice of support, care and treatment.
It also suggests an ambitious public health programme to improve mental health literacy that will tackle stigma and discrimination.
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “We understand the distress caused by delays in accessing mental health support and long waits are not acceptable.
“The latest Public Health Scotland data shows that more than 74,000 people started treatment in psychological therapies (PT) last year. Half of patients were starting treatment within three weeks of referral in quarter ending March 2025 and there was a significant increase of 7.5% of patients starting treatment in the last quarter. This has been made possible by the hard work of our psychology services workforce which has increased by 61.8% in the last decade.
“We have set clear expectations for NHS Boards, and we will continue working closely with those who are not meeting the standard to drive the improvements we need to see.”
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