Loosing job, getting divorce or receiving a diagnosis for infertility have traditionally been rated very high in terms of causing stress and threatening a cause for concern to our mental health. A recent study conducted by a charity shows that the threat of repossession can be far more stressful.
2000 people were surveyed by Mental health charity Rethink recently to mark the World Mental Health Day. According to the results released last week, 46 per cent of respondents rated house possession as the event that would most damage their mental health.
Obviously the current economic downturn and increase in the number of home repossessions is not good news for the mental health of thousands of people. Council of Mortgage Lenders had said at the start of this year that it expected about 45,000 repossessions in 2008. This means that 45,000 home owners and their families will face mental anguish.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if we see a rise in the number of people going to their doctor because of mental health problems in the coming months,” said Paul Corry, Rethink’s director of public affairs to BBC News.
Clearly action needs to be taken to reduce or stop repossessions to prevent this enormous mental distress.
Even for people lucky enough to hang on to their homes and ultimately come out unscathed, the fear, stress and worry of arrears building up can be enough to harm mental health to some degree.
Filed under: Stop Repossesion
