10/03/2010
Six in ten suffer from mental issues such as stress, anxiety or depression
by William Hobson
60% of people in Britain have struggled to cope with stress, anxiety or depression at least once in their life, claims a survey published this week.
Published by mental health charity Together, the survey shows that mental health issues affect almost everyone at some point in their lives. More than 30% of respondents said that they have been so worried by these problems that they felt they were "cracking up" at one point.
Liz Felton, head of Together, said: "This research shows mental health and wellbeing is relevant to most people, not just those with diagnosed issues.''
Minister for Care Services Phil Hope added his own comments to the survey: "Other debilitating conditions prompt sympathy and understanding," he said, "but mental health is all too often treated as taboo."
More than half of the country is believed to have suffered from depression, whilst 70% say that stress has affected their lives significantly at some point.
A further 59% of people say that they have suffered from problems due to anxiety. Hypnotherapy could help people facing such difficulties, particularly in preventing them from doing further harm to their mental health. Two thirds of those who admitted experiencing difficulties said that rather than getting help for their problems, they had isolated themselves - which one member of Together said "is the worst thing you can do".
Matthew Hyndman, who testified to the help Together had given him in dealing with his own issue, said "[Isolation] is the worst thing you can do because the more isolated you become, the more unimaginable it seems that you will ever have the courage to enter 'normal' life again.''
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