The wonderful Trisha Goddard talks to Paul Goulden, ILC's Head of Partnerships, and Paul Farmer, Age UK's CEO, about being lonely and the impact of poor mental health on people over 50.
Are ‘Boomers’ as unsympathetic and dismissive of mental health and its impacts, and are ‘Gen Z’ as self-indulgent and fragile, as we might be led to believe? Ageist assumptions and intergenerational conflicts and misunderstandings have permeated the public conversation about mental health, and addressing both will be key to reducing the burden of mental health diseases, and the stigma that surrounds them.
There are approximately 1.2 million people of all ages on the waiting list for mental health in the NHS.
In 2022-23, 17.1 million working days were lost due to work-related stress, depression, and anxiety in the UK alone. Mental ill health or distress was the most cited reason for absence. The average number of days off per person suffering was 19.6 - almost a month of working days lost.
Evidence shows younger workers are more likely to be absent from work due to mental ill health than older colleagues. According to the Resolution Foundation, in 2023, nearly a quarter of 17- to 19-year-olds (23.3%) and one in five 20- to 25-year-olds (21.7%) in England had a probable mental health disorder.
Focusing on young people’s mental health is vital. ILC research on the lifelong impact of poor mental health during our younger years showed it had a significant impact on an individual’s employment trajectories in later life. Our evidence in 2017 found children as young as 7 whose parents and teachers reported them showing signs of depression, worry or withdrawal on one or more occasions are more likely to be unemployed at age 55.
But it is important that older people can also access the treatment they need. The evidence we have gathered suggests clinicians can unconsciously hold ageist assumptions about their older patients: assuming older people are less receptive to mental health referrals, less likely to engage and complete the treatment. People over 65 with symptoms of depression and anxiety are often considered by referring GPs to be less treatable, particularly through online treatment services.
You can watch the whole programme here: watch.talk.tv/shows/63d68f9d-...