The lack of jobs is having serious detrimental effects on job seekers. A recent survey carried out by the website patient.co.uk, which had more than 2,000 participants, found that the lack of financial stability is resulting in more people turning to alcohol and many feel isolated due to the lack of money.
Amongst those worse affected are young people who are increasingly prone to turn to the bottle and who face depression.
The Director of Campaigns Policy and Participation at YoungMinds, Lucie Russel, said that mental health problems are increasingly affecting youths. “This bleak outlook is understandably leading to concerns about the mental health of young people.
“The World Health Organisation predicts that by 2030 more people will be affected by depression than any other health problem yet investment in mental health remains sadly lacking. We are sitting on a mental health timebomb and urgent action is needed to invest in mental health support services for young people.”
Nearly half of the under-25s who completed the survey said that they felt isolated due to the lack of money as they can’t afford socialising.
Dr Sarah Jarvis, a GP author at the website, thought that the results were a cause of concern particularly in light of the fact that few young people seek help for their mental health issues.
“The research presents a worrying picture of youth health. This group are the least likely to visit their GP to discuss health concerns yet are being badly hit, mentally and physically, by the economic downturn.
“Taking time out to address health worries is not a priority for young people and is slipping down the nation's priority list as a whole. With things not set to improve any time soon, we could be facing real health problems before long.”
There have been many calls for the Government to make it its priority to engage more young people in employment so that their mental wellbeing does not deteriorate. However, Emily Robinson, the Director of Campaigns at Alcohol Concerns, stressed that alcohol abuse can be prevented by increasing the price of alcoholic beverages.
“The financial crisis means we have less time, less money and more worry - factors not helpful to our health. The volume and changing nature of searches we've witnessed on the site suggested the connection. This research confirmed it. It also revealed something very important - that it's wrong to assume who may or may not be affected.”
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