Mental health referrals rise sharply in region

The number of people being referred for mental health support across Dumfries and Galloway has increased by 75% according to council data.

The local authority's mental health team received 551 referrals in the first six months of 2025/2026 compared with 315 referrals from the same six-month period the previous year.

There was also a 96% increase in emergency detection certificates (EDCs) - where a person can be held in a hospital for up to 72 hours for urgent assessment of a mental disorder.

The statistics were presented to councillors at Dumfries and Galloway Council's social work services committee.

Rebecca Aldridge, the council's senior operations manager for adult care, said the figures reflected the challenges experienced across the social care sector as a whole.

''Difficulties that we're seeing within the mental health team for people coming through the services is that the impact of poverty - and we see it in homelessness as well - is that that actually increases the impact on their well-being and mental health,'' she said.

The report also stated that there was a 98% increase in referrals for short-term detention certificates (STDC) compared to the first two quarters of 2024/2025, with 79 in total.

STDCs are an entry route to detention under the Mental Health Act, and involve a report being completed by a Mental Health Officer, which is valid for 28 days.

Complex cases concerning ''financial hardship, domestic abuse, and isolation'' were stated as contributing factors for the increase in these referrals.

However, Ms Aldridge said efforts were ongoing to tackle the situation.

"There is a challenge at times getting access to relevant GPs, doctors that can do short-term detention, so you'll see when that happens there's an increase in emergency detentions and we're working closely with our colleagues within the Health and Social Care Partnership to mitigate some of that," she said.