'Extremely alarming': 164 children waiting over a year for mental health care
There are 164 children who have been waiting more than a year for mental health services in Scotland – marking a 20% increase from this time last year.
An additional 253 young people have been waiting between nine months and a year for treatment with NHS Scotland's Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS).
The Scottish Children's Services Coalition (SCSC), an alliance of leading providers, called the figures 'extremely alarming'.
'Each one of these statistics is an individual, and we would urge the Scottish Government to ensure the adequate resourcing of mental health services for our children and young people so that they can get the care and support they need, without lengthy waits,' a spokesperson for the SCSC said.
'We are facing a mental health emergency, and many of our children and young people are at breaking point, with stress and anxiety reaching alarming levels as they battle with the long shadow of lockdown and the rising cost of living.
'This is also having a negative impact on classroom behaviour, affecting the young people concerned, their fellow pupils and staff.'
Although Public Health Scotland has insisted that the number of children starting treatment within 18 weeks of referral is improving, the number of people waiting for over 18 weeks has increased across the board since December 2024.
From December 2024 to March 2025, the number of children waiting over a year has increased from 145 to 164. Since March 2024, that figure has risen from 137.
The number of children waiting between five and nine months has also increased since December from 424 to 499.
The only category that's fallen is the number of children waiting between nine months and a year – from 283 to 253.
Most of the children who have been waiting for more than 12 months are in the NHS Lothian district.
NHS Lothian has the highest number of children on the CAMHS waitlist of any other health board, and it accounts for 88% of the children waiting more than a year for treatment.
NHS Lothian has been contacted for comment.
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