Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the effects of (a) unemployment and (b) poverty on levels of mental illness.

The Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey (2014) assessed various psychiatric disorders and considered a range of socioeconomic aspects, namely household type, employment status and benefit status. The data showed that people in receipt of Employment and Support Allowance experienced particularly high rates of most disorders. The Survey’s report is available at the following link:

https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/adult-psychiatric-morbidity-survey/adult-psychiatric-morbidity-survey-survey-of-mental-health-and-wellbeing-england-2014

The Health Survey for England (2014) reported on the prevalence of being diagnosed with a mental illness, by household income and area deprivation. It found that men and women living in lower income households were more likely to report ever having been diagnosed with a mental illness than those living in higher income households. The Survey’s report is available at the following link:

https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/health-survey-for-england/health-survey-for-england-2014