Financial Crises: Impact on Mental Health and Suggested Responses

Abstract

Listen

Translate article

In her foreword to the World Health Organization booklet, Impact of Economic Crises on Mental Health [6] , the World Health Organization regional director for Europe, Zsuzsanna Jakab, notes that the present economic crisis has led to a significant decline in economic activity, a rise in unemployment, depressed housing markets and an increased number of people living in poverty. This impact is currently worst felt in Greece, where unprecedented austerity measures have impoverished the population and caused a steep rise in unemployment, which is currently at 27% (November 2012), up from 7.9% in 2007 [7] . Socioeconomic decline can influence people’s mental health through loss of jobs and limitations in income [8] . Unemployment, impoverishment and family disruptions are likely to produce or precipitate a variety of mental health problems, most prominently depression, suicide and alcoholism [6, 9–13] . An increase in the number of helpline phone calls with direct or indirect reference to the economic crisis has been reported in Greece. Most callers had depressive symptoms and were predominantly unemployed [14] . An increase in suicide attempts [15] and – arguably – actual suicides [16, 17] has recently been reported in Greece as well as in other countries imposing austerity measures, such as Ireland [18] and England [19] . This Introduction