Publication: Mental health and the cost of living crisis report: another pandemic in the making?
Results of a survey by the Mental Health Foundation reveal that many people are not able to do what’s needed for good mental health due to the cost of living crisis.
What are the main findings?
- Almost one in three (30%) adults are experiencing poorer quality sleep as a result of financial worries.
- Almost a quarter (23%) of people are meeting friends less often.
- One in six (15%) people are reporting engaging less with hobbies, while one in eight (12%) are exercising less frequently.
Expert thought
Mark Rowland, chief executive of the Mental Health Foundation, said: ‘This is not only a financial crisis – it is a public mental health emergency … Concerns about finances are reducing people’s ability to do the basic things that we know support good mental health.
‘We need good-quality sleep. We need to be able to do things we enjoy. We need exercise. We need to be able to spend time with the people we love.
‘We need to do more than simply survive to have good mental health and wellbeing: we must thrive if we are to prevent mental health problems from developing.’
Kevin Stewart Mental wellbeing minister
‘We want all mothers and their families to have access to good mental healthcare throughout pregnancy and during the postnatal period … it is reassuring to see that from October 2020 to March 2023 over £2.5m has been distributed to successful charities via the fund.’
Image credit | iStock
