More than one in four adults in the North West suffer mental health problems due to housing pressures

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Shocking new research has revealed that over a million people in the North West have suffered a deterioration in their mental health because of housing problems in their lifetime, and many are seeking help from GPs in the area.

The report from Shelter and ComRes shows 28% of people in the North West have experienced issues including long-term stress, anxiety and depression due to a housing problem over their lifetime. In some of the worst cases, people have suicidal thoughts.

The charity is urging anyone overwhelmed by housing problems to get advice from Shelter, after one in 17 (6%) people in the region said they had visited their GP due to housing problems.

An in-depth investigation by the charity with 20 GPs, including professionals from Manchester, revealed:

• GPs say some of their patients diagnosed with anxiety and depression is directly due to housing problems.
• Bad housing is tipping people with existing mental health issues ‘over the edge’.
• Poor housing conditions are having the biggest effect on mental health but unaffordable and unstable rented housing are also having a negative impact.
• GPs feel they need more help in supporting patients experiencing these problems

Showing how linked housing and mental health are, nationally the research shows that a vast majority (69%) of people who have experienced housing problems in the last five years such as poor conditions, struggling to pay the rent or being threatened with eviction, have reported a negative impact on their mental health.