Britain's cost-of-living crisis sparks a mental health epidemic

Adults having financial difficulties are more likely to suffer from depression, data from the Office for National Statistics shows.

By Annabel Sinclair

The cost-of-living crisis has fuelled a surge in the number of adults struggling with depression, figures suggest.

According to data published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) last week, adult depression rates are staggeringly higher among those on a lower income.

One in six adults are living with moderate to severe symptoms of depression as of October this year, up from one in ten prior to the pandemic.

In response to the findings, Tim Vizard, an ONS spokesman, said: “While levels of depression remain similar to a year ago, they are significantly above pre-pandemic levels.”

Nearly all, 92%, of those with some form of depression reported the rising cost of living as their biggest concern.

Mental health charity Jami has seen a sharp rise in demand for its services as a result of the UK’s financial crisis.

Hayley Aaron, 31, Jami communications manager, said: “We’ve had to work harder and extend our working hours to support people of all ages whose mental health is deteriorating as a result of unaffordable bills and anxieties about their financial situation.”

“The cost-of-living crisis has unquestionably made depressive symptoms worse among individuals already experiencing mental health issues, which is a growing problem,” she said.

Energy prices have been slammed as one of the main factors causing mental illnesses to worsen, with nearly a quarter of adults (23%), who find it very difficult to pay their energy bills, undergoing moderate to severe depressive symptoms.

This is six times higher than those who found it very easy to pay their energy bills (4%).

The surge in depressive symptoms among adults comes as the energy price cap has rocketed from £1,277 in September 2021 to £2,500 in October 2022.

Lily Reeves, 34, a nursery assistant from Northwest London, is part of the 23% whose mental health has suffered as a result of finding it very difficult to pay her gas and electric bills. “I feel very low and depressed at the end of each month when my energy bill alone exceeds my earnings,” she said.

Data from the ONS also showed that nearly one third (32%) of adults who had to borrow more money or use more credit than usual in the previous month due to rising bills are suffering from moderate to severe depressive symptoms.

A group of mental health charities including Samaritans and Young Minds opened a letter to Rishi Sunak, the prime minister, last month to warn that the UK’s economic turmoil is severely impacting mental health.

The letter said: “We want to be crystal clear: the first intervention to reduce mental ill health and prevent suicide is to ensure every household has the means to be safe and warm with enough to eat.”