Person-centred care zone

The mental health of unpaid carers

Following the State of Caring survey completed by over 1700 unpaid carers in Scotland in 2023, Carers Scotland, one of our country's national carer organisations, shared the findings in their report ‘State of Caring 2023, a Health and Social Care Crisis for Unpaid Carers in Scotland’.

Within this survey, carers shared their experiences of their own mental health:

• Over a quarter of carers (28%) said their mental health is bad or very bad, rising to 37% for carers on Carer’s Allowance.
• A third (36%) of carers said that they had thoughts related to self-harm or suicide.

(Carers Scotland, State of Caring 2023, a Health and Social Care Crisis for Unpaid Carers in Scotland, 2023)

As a health and social care workforce that will meet unpaid carers in our practice, it is important to acknowledge the extent of the impact that caring can have on some people who provide unpaid care. We particularly need to be aware of unpaid carers who have reached the point of harming themselves or experiencing suicidal ideation. You may find you feel emotionally impacted by this topic, please seek support.