LIB DEMS REVEAL SHOCKING EXTENT OF ALCOHOL RELATED MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS IN SCOTLAND

Written by Ross Finnie on Wed 15th Jul 2009

LIB DEMS REVEAL SHOCKING EXTENT OF ALCOHOL RELATED MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS IN SCOTLAND

Liberal Democrat Health spokesperson Ross Finnie MSP has revealed the shocking extent of the damage being done to people's mental health in Scotland as a result of alcohol abuse.

Answers to Parliamentary Questions lodged by Mr Finnie have revealed that in both the 14 -17 age bracket, as well as the 18 and over age bracket, hospital admissions for alcohol related problems have risen steadily over the past five years.

The figures also show that 133 children aged 13 and under were admitted to hospital last year with alcohol related mental or behavioural problems.

Commenting, Mr Finnie said:

"These figures are very concerning. We already know that alcohol abuse is Scotland's shame, but these figures show the true extent of the long lasting damage it can have on individuals' lives.

"It is simply shocking that 133 young children were admitted to hospital with alcohol related mental health problems last year.

"It is clear that much more must be done to combat the rise in alcohol related mental health problems across all ages in Scotland.

"I want to see Ministers redouble their efforts to crack down on those people who sell or pass on alcohol to young people. More must also be done to raise awareness of the real dangers of alcohol abuse."

Ends.

Notes to Editors:

The full text of Mr Finnie's Parliamentary Question and answer is as follows -

Alcohol Misuse

S3W-25017 - Ross Finnie (West of Scotland) (LD) (Date Lodged Friday, June 19, 2009): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people aged (a) 13 and under, (b) 14 to 17 and (c) 18 and over have been admitted to hospital for mental and behavioural disorders related to alcohol in each of the last five years, broken down by NHS board.

Answered by Nicola Sturgeon (Monday, July 13, 2009): The following tables show the number of patients in acute hospitals with a diagnosis of mental and behavioural disorders related to alcohol use, by health board of treatment and by age group.

Table 1. Number of People Aged 13 and Under Admitted to Hospital with Mental and Behavioural Disorders Associated with Alcohol Use, by Health Board of Treatment and by Year1-6

NHS Board 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08

Ayrshire and Arran 20 28 18 26 18

Borders 12 * * * *

Dumfries and Galloway * * * * *

Fife * * * * *

Forth Valley 13 * 10 10 *

Grampian 10 * * * *

Greater Glasgow 21 32 24 35 31

Highland * * * 14 10

Lanarkshire * 10 12 * 10

Lothian 17 15 13 19 12

Orkney * * - - -

Shetland * * * * -

Tayside * 11 13 10 10

Western Isles * * * * *

Scotland 127 130 127 148 133

Table 2. Number of People Aged 14 to 17 Years Admitted to Hospital with Mental and Behavioural Disorders Associated with Alcohol use, by Health Board of Treatment and by Year1-6

NHS Board 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08

Ayrshire and Arran 135 132 105 117 130

Borders 38 16 35 41 41

Dumfries and Galloway 11 14 12 14 29

Fife 14 18 30 33 26

Forth Valley 30 17 12 20 15

Grampian 76 56 76 79 80

Greater Glasgow 116 155 146 166 150

Highland 69 58 61 65 79

Lanarkshire 56 58 50 51 69

Lothian 54 42 64 84 88

Orkney * * * * *

Shetland * * * * *

Tayside 64 56 53 47 48

Western Isles 21 17 15 15 11

Scotland 700 655 673 743 778

Table 3. Number of People Aged 18 Years or Over Admitted to Hospital with Mental and Behavioural Disorders Associated with Alcohol Use, by Health Board of Treatment and by Year1-6

NHS Board 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08

Ayrshire and Arran 1,901 1,911 1,761 1,858 1,963

Borders 306 329 312 414 419

Dumfries and Galloway 346 324 341 336 335

Fife 605 695 708 763 745

Forth Valley 664 732 512 616 690

Grampian 1,579 1,599 1,518 1,693 1,912

Greater Glasgow 6,196 6,672 6,560 6,935 7,093

Highland 1,502 1,357 1,388 1,351 1,447

Lanarkshire 1,794 1,842 1,710 1,775 1,863

Lothian 2,162 2,217 2,267 2,619 2,743

Orkney 102 97 94 105 125

Shetland 70 78 90 83 82

Tayside 1,106 1,100 1,062 1,035 1,078

Western Isles 263 219 216 212 172

Scotland 18,393 18,979 18,343 19,594 20,433

Source: Information Services Division (ISD) Scotland.

Notes:

*Numbers have not been shown where these are potentially disclosive.

1. The totals for the number of people admitted in each health board may not match the Scotland totals; an individual is counted only once in the Scotland total but may appear in more than one health board of treatment.

2. Excludes psychiatric hospital units and maternity hospitals. Transfers have also been excluded.

3. Caution is necessary when interpreting these figures, as the recording of alcohol misuse may vary from hospital to hospital; where alcohol misuse is suspected but unconfirmed it may not be recorded by the hospital.

4. Diseases recorded using the International Classification of Diseases 10th Revision (ICD10); mental and behavioural disorders associated with alcohol use: F10.

5. Up to six diagnosis codes can be recorded. All six diagnostic positions have been used when classifying patients with the diagnosis.

6. Figures in the table only relate to those individuals who are treated as inpatients and do not include individuals managed as outpatients or individuals attending accident and emergency who are not subsequently admitted.

7. Data for 2003-04 to 2007-08 is based on revised alcohol codings; data for 2007-08 is provisional.