The Press Association: Downturn ‘to affect mental health’

Will irrational exuberance give way to irrational misery?

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

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.

via The Press Association: Downturn ‘to affect mental health’