Speaking during a debate on mental health and unemployment, Jim Shannon, MP for Strangford, has raised the correlation between mental health issues and the Troubles which has been underlined by the latest report by the University of Ulster on behalf of the Commission of Victim and Survivors.
This report indicates that 30% of the population have mental health problems and of these half are due to issues from the Troubles.
[caption id="attachment_53868" align="alignleft" width="300"]
Strangford MP Jim Shannon expresses his concerns about mental health and unemployment in the population.[/caption]
Speaking at Westminster Mr Shannon said: “This issue is one which I deal with everyday in my office. Every day I see people who are struggling to cope with mental health issues. T hese are made worse by the times we live in and the pressure on those in work and also those on benefits.
“I have seen of late greater need in people who suffer from depression, as they have had to deal with issues with which they have never had to deal before. Poverty.org has said people who are working are at much lower risk of mental illness than those who are either unemployed or long-term sick or disabled, with the proportions assessed as being at high risk being 10-20% for those who working, around 30% for those who are unemployed and 50% for those who are long-term sick or disabled.
“The information on the website continues saying that research suggests a connection between the conflict and the risk of mental ill-health within Northern Ireland: the greater the extent to which someone’s area or life is affected by it, the greater the likelihood that they have poorer mental health.
“How far the conflict explains the overall levels of mental ill-health in Northern Ireland is less clear. Among those who chose to answer questions about their experience of the conflict, 7% indicated that they themselves had been injured during it, while a further 36% indicated that a close relative or friend had either been injured or killed. Putting these two figures together implies that in the early years of this decade, around half a million people had been affected by the conflict in this way.
“The figures show that mental health is a greater issue in Northern Ireland than it is in other parts of the United Kingdom. When someone is under pressure or stress and worried about whether they will live or die, they turn to drink, drugs or other things, and that affects their lifestyle.
“Ultimately, a great many people in Northern Ireland suffer from depression and mental health issues because of our country’s past. The Princes’ Trust has found that Between 10% and 20% of teenagers from Northern Ireland will suffer from depression at some point in that short period of their life, over one-in-three (35%) youngsters here had experienced mental health issues, compared to a UK national average of almost one-in-five (19%).
“It also revealed that long-term unemployed 16 to 25-year-olds are twice as likely as their peers to have been prescribed anti-depressants, and believe they have nothing to live for. The research also highlighted that people suffering from depression would be less likely to ask for help in this circumstance, said” Mr Shannon.
The poll also revealed:
* Over one-in-three (34%) young people here said they ‘always’ or ‘often’ feel down or depressed, compared to a national average 32%, with the long-term unemployed significantly more likely to feel this way.
* One-in-four (29%) said they feel like an ‘outcast’, compared with 24% nationally, with the report finding that the long-term unemployed are significantly more likely to feel this way.
* More than one-in-five (21%) admitted they feel like a ‘waste of space’, against a national average of 17%, with the long-term unemployed more than twice as likely to feel this way.
He added: “These statistics are horrifying and yet not a complete shock. The amount of young people in my office for benefit and housing help is very sad when I think of how much I loved having my job as a young man with no responsibilities and a pay check at the end of the week, and we have a generation of young people who are waiting on their benefit cheque with nothing else to live for. Is it any wonder that we have a serious problem with mental health issues?
“The link between unemployment and mental health issues is clear and it is time that strategies were in place to deal with this. Are we getting this right at present? I don’t think so – but we must not stop trying – for the sake of families throughout the UK – we must do better.”
]]>
