Two thirds of people questioned as part of a Time to Talk Day survey feel they cannot confide in others
Two thirds of Scots feel they have no-one to talk to about problems such as mental health, money issues and relationships.
A new study – released as part of Time to Talk Day – has shown that 66% of those questioned feel they cannot talk in confidence with others about everyday problems.
To change this footballers, actors, comedians, activists and the First Minister have come together to show that we should all be able to talk about mental health anywhere
When respondents were asked why they felt unable to speak out, the top reason provided was people said never being able to find the right time, or the right place to talk.
The survey of 2,500 adults was commissioned by Time to Change, who are working with See Me, the Scottish programme to end mental health discrimination, for a nation-wide push to get people talking more openly about mental health.
See Me champions Suzanne Baines and Karen Lally travelled around Scotland, starting conversations at Ben Nevis, Loch Ness, St Andrews Old Course, Stirling Castle and the Falkirk wheel to mark the event. Their trip finished with a visit to the parliament to chat to First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.
Presenter Des Clarke and comedian Janey Godley spent the morning at Kelvingrove Museum in Glasgow chatting about mental health, footballer David Cox has been talking in his gym in Motherwell with See Me volunteer Liam Rankin and actor Emun Elliott videoed himself chatting with a pal.
Liam Rankin, 49, from, East Kilbride, was first diagnosed with schizophrenia when he was a teenager, but was told not to talk about what he was going through. He said: "I always thought I couldn't tell anyone about my schizophrenia, that it wasn't something I should talk about. So I ended up self-harming and overdosing to try and get people to ask me how I was. If no one asks you how you are then it is so much harder to talk about it.
"I grew up in a generation when this was a treated like a dirty secret. I felt really isolated, when you can't speak about what's going on you lose everyone, you don't think anyone will understand.
"If I could have spoken out and got proper help when I was younger then it could have made a huge difference. Early intervention is vital and you need to be able to talk to do that]
Godley said: "As comedians we're used to talking about our lives. But that doesn't mean it's always easy to speak when you're struggling.
“I want to show that it doesn't matter who you are, or where you are, we can all listen and show there isn't a wrong place to speak about your mental health."
