HEALTH Is the recession affecting your mental health?

Is the recession affecting your mental health?


Mental Health
Jannah Walshe

It is now more important than ever to mind your mental health. With more and more people out of work and unsure of their future or their families’ future, many people find themselves suffering with depression. This type of depression which is specifically related to the economic situation is now becoming known as recession depression.
Recession depression could be caused by company closure, job loss, inability to find work, emigration or financial difficulty. When a mental health issue arises on top of any of these life events, it is a double blow.
Why does this happen? When a person is out of work for a long time, it becomes difficult for them to ever see their situation changing for the better. This can become overwhelming, and a vicious cycle is created. The longer someone is out of work, the harder it is to see a way out of it. Hopelessness can then become the prominent feeling, and this can lead into a depression. The more hopeless or depressed a person feels the harder it is to be motivated to look for work or make changes to improve their job prospects. This cycle often becomes a part of a person’s life before they even realise it.
The first step to making any positive changes is awareness of what is happening.  Can you relate to any of the following symptoms?

• Worrying about your current situation and your future
• Ignoring or trying to ignore the issue
• Irritable or angry with people
• Tired but not able to sleep properly
• Losing interest in things you previously enjoyed,
• Drinking more
• Feeling low
• Wondering is it all worth it
• Considering suicide

If you can relate to any of these symptoms you may be suffering from a mental-health issue. Do you feel this issue relates to your current employment or financial difficulties? If you find it impossible to overcome this by yourself, do not hesitate to find appropriate help.

Are men affected more?
Men in particular can struggle with the emotional impact of the recession because to many, it is still crucial to be the breadwinner.
If a man is out of work and is struggling to find employment, his self-esteem takes a big hit and he may not be in a good place emotionally. These circumstances, and the fact that many men are less inclined to seek help, mean that depression can set in. The Institute of Public Health in Ireland’s study ‘The Impact of the Recession and Unemployment on Men’s Health in Ireland’ (June 2011) found ‘causal relationships between being unemployed and suffering ill health – particularly mental ill health’. It goes further, and states: ‘There are already extremely adverse effects for the health and wellbeing of a large proportion of Irish men’.

Isolation
Isolation is a common feeling for anyone out of work, and it can aggravate recession depression. An unexpected side-effect of when job loss is the sudden loss of a main social network. Team meetings, coffee breaks, work lunches, Christmas parties and office chitchat can disappear overnight.
When a person is unemployed, they may see very few people on a daily basis. They are less inclined to organise to meet people because of feelings of embarrassment that can go along with being unemployed. They may feel they have nothing to talk about. They may want to avoid questions about their lack of work or what they are doing to find work.
As time passes, the isolation grows and it becomes all the harder to reintegrate back into society.

Take action
To manage the impact of the recession on your mental health it is crucial to address both the financial/employment issues and any mental health issues. Let’s look at some tactics for  managing recession depression.
Introduce some general lifestyle and health changes, such as more exercise, getting more sleep and/or engaging in some form of meditation or relaxation like yoga or listening to music.
Try to see your circumstances as an opportunity rather than a crisis by reframing the situation and identifying the positives. For example, if you were made recently unemployed, this may be viewed as a natural opportunity to pursue something you’ve always wanted to do. It may be a good time to do a course or attend classes in a new subject. Redundancy may provide an opportunity for you to spend more time with your family while giving your partner a chance to re-enter the workplace. It can be a natural time for a ‘reality check’, a period to prioritise what’s important.
It may be helpful to look into retraining, possibly going back to college, doing a short course or work experience. Volunteering is another possibility. These actions provide a sense of purpose, allowing you to feel you are working towards an end goal, which may eventually support you in getting work.
Contact your local counselling services if you feel you need some extra support. Career counselling is another option.
Try not to bury your head in the sand about your financial situation. Get in touch with your local Money Advice and Budgeting Service (MABS). MABS is a national, free, confidential and independent service for people in debt or in danger of getting into debt and a helpline exists.
Antidepressant drugs can be prescribed should your doctor feel they are needed.
The key to overcoming recession depression is taking steps to maintain hope and a sense of purpose, reducing your sense of isolation and knowing when to seek help should you need it.

Jannah Walshe is a counsellor and psychotherapist based in Castlebar and Westport. A pre-accredited member of The Irish Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, she can be contacted via  www.jannahwalshe.ie or at 085 1372528.