Economic downturn could cause mental health 'crisis' » Health » 24dash.com

The economic downturn could cause a 26% rise in mental health problems, affecting more than 1.5 million people in the UK, Conservatives claimed today.

Shadow health secretary Andrew Lansley urged the Government to take action to prevent what he said was a crisis in the making, with financial insecurity fuelling an increase in mental problems ranging from anxiety to lost self-esteem.

He called for an end to the ban on NHS Mental Health Foundation Trusts generating private income, to allow them to work with employers and independent welfare-to-work providers to offer services to jobless people and vulnerable workers.

Speaking to the Mental Health Network in York today, Mr Lansley will say: "In the midst of serious discussions over unemployment figures, fiscal stimulus packages and interest rate cuts, we must not lose sight of the most pressing consequence of the current problems - human misery.

"Mental health illness is the forgotten face of this recession. The Government must take decisive action to prevent a financial crisis becoming a mental health catastrophe.

"That's why we urge ministers to adopt these practical and cost-neutral steps which will help offset the human and financial cost of deteriorating mental health."

Mr Lansley cited independent economists who have predicted that numbers of people out of work could reach 3 million by 2010 - a rise of 3.7 percentage points to 9.5%. An American study has suggested that each percentage point rise in unemployment produces a 7% rise in non-psychotic mental health disorders.

Tories argue that lifting the bar on Mental Health Trusts earning private income would allow them to provide specialist help for unemployed people through independent back-to-work companies as well as offering in-work occupational health support for employees at risk of mental ill-health.

Mr Lansley also called on the Government to provide the unemployed with better access to cognitive behavioural therapy, which he said was proven to double the rate at which the jobless are able to re-enter work.

And he said the 3,600 extra cognitive therapists which the Government has promised to provide by 2011 should be distributed across the country, rather than being focused on only 20 primary care trust areas.

In May this year, mental health charity Mind released a report which found 91% of those with mental problems believed they were made worse by financial difficulties and debt.

Mind's chief executive Paul Farmer said: "Financial health and mental health are inextricably linked. Job insecurity, redundancy, debt and financial problems are all proven to contribute to mental distress.

"As more people come face to face with these problems, there is no doubt that we will see an increase in depression, anxiety and stress. We need to make sure that these aren't the first steps up a one-way street by providing mental health support when people need it.

"As jobs are threatened and more people need to seek new employment, it's vital that we fight discrimination in the workplace so that people with mental distress are given an equal chance to stay in and find work.

"No-one is immune to the recession, and no-one is immune to the distress this can cause. It's never been a more important time to invest in mental health."

A Department of Health spokesman said: "In the current climate, it is understandable that people might worry more about their finances.

"People who are experiencing stress should speak to their GP.

"Mental health services are a top priority for this Government.

"Since 1999 there has been an increased annual investment of £2billion per year and the Government is investing a further £300million over three years to increase access to cognitive therapy.

"We are increasingly bringing in community based mental health services and now have more than 740 new mental health teams in the community offering home treatment, early intervention or intensive support."