ALMOST three quarters of young people do not know what mental health information, support and services are available to them according to the largest piece of research ever done on young people’s mental health in Scotland - while a quarter to them believe that they have suffered a mental health problem.

The research – Our Generation's Epidemic – commissioned by the Scottish Youth Parliament and published next week, found that one-in-four of a total of 1453 surveyed across all 32 of Scotland's local authorities considered themselves to have had a mental health problem. However 74 per cent did not know what services were available in their area and one-in-five did not know where to go for help or advice. More than a quarter – 27 per cent – said they did not feel able to talk about mental health in their school, college or workplace.

Young people said they often felt embarrassment or feared being judged, which held them back from seeking help of talking about problems with their mental health. In focus groups some claimed doctors discriminated against them, writing off mental health problems as "attention seeking" or "just a phase". Others raised concerns about the long wait times for support of up to a year.

SYP is now calling for mental health education to be incorporated in lessons, for schools to develop action plans, GPs to get training and funding to be ring-fenced. Earlier this year the charity Children in Scotland called for a mental health minister to tackle a "mental health crisis storm".

Terri Smith, chair of the Scottish Youth Parliament suffered from depression and anxiety as a teenager and was prescribed anti-depressants that triggered a manic episode last year. "I was bipolar but I didn't realise it," said the now 21-year-old. "I didn't know where to seek help but I went to my GP and was just given medication. It took a year for me to see a psychiatrist and due to the waiting lists I was only able to access counselling through a third sector youth service.

"This report shows that a lot of young people are suffering in silence. We urgently need to increase awareness and the level of support that young people are able to access; they should get the best we can offer but we are letting them down."

Isabella Goldie, director of development for the Mental Welfare Foundation, said: "We know that more than half of all adults with mental health problems were first diagnosed in childhood, and 75 percent by early adulthood, so we need to act early to prevent mental health problems emerging. This important report by the Scottish Youth Parliament reminds us that we are failing young people, leaving many living with unacceptable levels of distress."

Minister for Public Health Maureen Watt claimed mental health was a priority for the government, which has committed to putting in place a ten-year strategy to improve access to mental health services. "We welcome the Scottish Youth Parliament’s research as we know we need to think about new and innovative ways to improve mental health and address problems, as early as possible," she said. "We are currently developing our next strategy, and have been speaking to people who use services, service providers and professional bodies to help us shape our new approach."