Experts warn mounting impact of British recession on mental health

The economic downturn may not currently be seeing its affects on the health of the population in Britain, but there are fears that as the recession deepens the Nation Health Service (NHS) will see a rise in admissions, especially during the coming winter.

Britain has been warned of a staggering 26 percent increase in the number of people experiencing mental health problems by 2010 as a direct result of Britain’s economic crisis.

To date, there have been no official reports on the recession’s impact on health. However, mounting levels of unemployment, increasing debt and housing insecurity has prompted some health service charities to sound the alarm.

As regards the death rate, both the British Humanist Association and the National Funeral Directors Association has said that the economic crisis has not yet had a visible impact upon the number of deaths.

They said that the rise in deaths in some areas in Britain cannot be generalized nationally and it is still too early to assess whether the recession would create an increased death rate in the country.


For the full story by Dongying Wang, published by Xinhua News Agency in March 2009, please click here. Also, please return to the blog to post your comment.

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