Unemployment and mental health

The literature review has been carried out to examine current evidence linking mental health and unemployment. The research reviewed in this paper covers a wide range of academic disciplines spanning epidemiological medical research to more descriptive papers from social policy and geography, and while international material is included, the work concentrates on British literature. The paper examines published accounts of the relationship between mental health, suicidal behaviour and employment giving special attention to the influence of the variables, age and gender, on the experience of unemployment. All the literature reviewed suggests a link between unemployment and mental health problems. However, the direction of this link, that is whether unemployment is the cause of poor mental health or the result of poor mental health, is not clear. This paper will be of interest to a wide range of community health professionals, especially those working in areas affected by unemployment or mental health professionals working with individuals who recently have been made redundant.