Staying sane in the midst of recession: How has the pandemic worsened UK’s mental health crisis?
Last month as chancellor Rishi Sunak warned the public that "It is very likely that the UK economy
will face a significant recession this year”, the economic challenges that
we are to face became very evident. However, this also raises several concerns
regarding those with mental health problems as pandemics and recessions are
known to only exacerbate these issues. With the threat of a major spike in
unemployment rates, how can we avoid the deterioration of mental health in the
UK?
It has been noticed in recent days that certain groups such as young people, are particularly more vulnerable to this decline in mental health; in fact, according to the think tank Resolution Foundation. The current economic crisis risks pushing an additional 600,000 18-24-year-olds into unemployment in the coming year. This is very concerning as we have enough evidence from the past which indicates that an increase in unemployment rates can worsen mental health. The World Health Organisation has even warned that “the economic crisis is expected to produce secondary mental health effects that may increase suicide and alcohol death rates.”
In the past too, there has been a strong correlation between suicide rates and unemployment figures. For example, job losses due to the economic crisis in Europe and North America led to more than 10,000 extra suicides. In addition, evidence from the 2008 financial crisis shows, that people with mental health problems are more likely to be unemployed during a recession. This means that not only will the upcoming recession lead to an increase in mental health issues, it would also increase discrimination against those battling such problems.
The graph below shows how suicide rates rise dramatically as unemployment increases.
However, another aspect of declining mental health due to the lockdown which might be even more urgent and concerning is the rise in domestic abuse cases within households. Recently, the charity Barnardo’s’ research found, that since the lockdown was announced on 23rd March, calls to the National Domestic Abuse Helpline have been up by 49% and domestic abuse killings are thought to have more than doubled. At the same time women’s frontline services are reporting record-breaking cries for help.
The cutback in NHS services in recent days due to the virus is another alarming matter regarding the crisis in mental health. Those suffering with pre-existing psychological conditions are now finding it difficult to get professional help, which increases the likelihood of developing more severe conditions such as anxiety or even clinical depression. The Mind survey which was released in May, revealed that “one in four people who have tried to access help to deal with mental health issues have not been able to do so.”
According to the World Health Organisation, “the mental health effects of the economic crisis can be offset by social welfare and other policy measures.” While our government has already promised huge resources to support businesses and those plunged into unemployment, 30 mental health related organisations including the British Psychological Society, YoungMinds and Barnardo’s, have signed an open letter to the Prime Minister, urging him to take steps in order to limit the long term damage to mental health that has been caused by the pandemic. In response to this, the government has released an additional £5 Million funding to mental health community projects, which is to be shared by around 35 organisations working to tackle the effects of the lockdown.
Related Articles:
https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2020/05/depression-coronavirus/611986/
https://www.nhs.uk/news/mental-health/recession-impacts-people-with-mental-illness-most/
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