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Those with mental illness more affected by recession

Across Europe, the rate of unemployment during the last recession was twice as high among individuals with mental health problems compared with the general population, new data suggest. Researchers said the unemployment gap was greater among men and those with low levels of education.

"Our study is the first to demonstrate that the European economic crisis had a greater impact on people with mental health problems, compared to people without mental health problems, as measured by exclusion from employment, and that these disparities were greater for individuals living in countries with higher levels of stigma," Sara Evans-Lacko, PhD, of Institute of Psychiatry at King's College London, said in an interview.

 

Sara Evans-Lacko

Evans-Lacko and colleagues examined unemployment rates among more than 20,000 individuals with and without mental illness from 27 countries in the European Union using data from Eurobarometer surveys from 2006 and 2010. They also looked at key factors such as education level, gender and attitudes toward mental illness.

In 2006, the unemployment rate among people with mental illness was 12.7% (95% CI, 11.4-13.9) vs. 7.1% (95% CI, 6.7-7.5) among those without mental illness. In 2010, unemployment rose to 18.2% (95% CI, 17-19.5) and 9.8% (95% CI, 9.3-10.3), respectively — an increase of 5.5% among people with mental illness compared with 2.7% among those without (OR=1.12; 95% CI, 1.03-1.34).

Among those with mental health problems, male gender (P<.001) and fewer years of education (P=.001) were both significantly associated with unemployment.

The researchers also found that certain stigmatizing attitudes — such as believing that people with mental health problems are dangerous — had contributed to a greater likelihood of being unemployed among individuals with mental illness.

"Considerable evidence demonstrates that exclusion can impede recovery of individuals with mental health problems and thus, it is even more important during these times for clinicians to be aware of important social factors which can impact on the health of their patients," Evans-Lacko said.

Disclosure: One of the study researchers reports financial ties with Lundbeck Pharmaceuticals and Bristol-Myers Squibb.