Mental health of Western Isles unemployed

MSP Rhoda Grant

Highlands and Islands Labour MSP Rhoda Grant has highlighted the detrimental impact six months of unemployment has on people’s mental and physical health.

Research findings suggest that being unemployed for six months or more has the same effect on health as smoking 200 cigarettes a day.

Official figures indicate that there are 220 people in the Western Isles Council area who have been unemployed for six months or more.

“Work and Pensions”

Ms. Grant said: “The consequences of losing a job can have a significant impact on both physical and mental health.

“They include rises in levels of anxiety and depression, loss of self-esteem and morale, vulnerability, and they contribute to the development of chronic illness such as heart disease.

“That’s why active and sustained intervention by the government to support business and the economy is absolutely vital.”

The research which compared smoking with being out of work was compiled by Professor Mansel Aylward of the Wales Centre for Health, and the former chief medical officer for the Department for Work and Pensions.

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