Reducing stress and anxiety.

People should protect their mental health this Christmas, with a range of support available for those experiencing depression, low mood, stress or anxiety.
Mental Health Minister Clare Haughey also thanked people working across the NHS, social services, the third sector and local communities for their continued hard work and dedication, ensuring those in distress have someone to help them.
This year, the Scottish Government announced a number of steps to improve the mental health of young people and directly target the impact of social media and body image on mental wellbeing. This included the UK’s first guidance on social media use, created by young people, for young people.
Mental health and suicide prevention training has also launched, with every football club and local authority across Scotland signing up to support their staff.
An innovative programme supporting people in distress was also extended to cover 16 and 17-year-olds across Lanarkshire, the Borders, Inverness and Aberdeen. The Distress Brief Intervention (DBI) programme is part of the Scottish Government’s mental health strategy and involves specially trained staff helping individuals manage difficult emotions and problem situations early on to prevent future crisis.
In 2020, new community wellbeing services and a 24/7 crisis support service will also be created to ensure everyone has access to the help and support they need.