Respondents who sounded the alarm in the survey found that nearly one in three (27%) adults in Northern Ireland reported poor quality sleep due to concerns about their financial situation, and almost a quarter (22%) but have few family members or friends. One of her eight (12%) was exercising less frequently.
Karen Hall, Head of Northern Ireland, Mental Health Foundation, said:
“With recession, austerity and COVID-19, the current cost of living crisis could become a new mental health pandemic. The number of people experiencing problems may increase.
“We see that economic concerns are making it harder for people to adopt healthy behaviors that support their mental health. We need good sleep We need to be able to do what we love We need exercise We need to be able to spend time with the people we love Yes, we must do more than survive to maintain our mental health and wellbeing, we must thrive.
“These are individual actions, but our ability to act on them is highly dependent on the circumstances in which we live. We need to do more to treat it as a health emergency, including increasing funding for community support organizations and ensuring financial support for those who need it.”
Today we published a position paper outlining our evidence-based recommendations for governments across the UK. A clear priority is to ensure that financial assistance schemes are available to all who need them and prevent people from experiencing poverty and financial stress. Income support announced so far is not enough to meet the needs of low-income people who must continue to live without essentials such as food and heating. Governments must ensure financial security for everyone to prevent emotional distress.
Previously, 44% of adults in Northern Ireland reported feeling insecure, 23% feeling angry or frustrated and 9% feeling hopeless about their financial situation.
The paper calls on all government departments to assess the mental health impact of decisions to address the cost of living crisis, and seeks to ensure that frontline workers are effectively coping with the mental health impact of economic stress and strain. It is recommended that you train to be able to handle Ensure energy companies, critical service providers, and creditors have procedures in place to provide compassionate care to customers experiencing financial strain.
Karen Hall, Northern Ireland Representative for the Mental Health Foundation added:
“We know our underfunded mental health services are already overwhelmed by people waiting months and years for treatment. We can’t, we must take action to prevent it and help people live healthy lives and maintain their mental health.”
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