Britain is becoming a more fearful place – and the economy is paying the price
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Britain is becoming a more fearful nation, with rising levels of anxiety and depression that are fuelling the economic crisis by undermining confidence, a report says today.
More than one third of those questioned in a Mental Health Foundation survey said they felt more frightened than they used to, and more than three quarters said the world was a more frightening place than a decade ago.
In February, the Office for National Statistics published figures showing a 12 per cent rise in the rate of anxiety disorders in the UK between 1993 and 2007, equivalent to 800,000 more sufferers. More than 7 million people are living with anxiety problems. The Mental Health Foundation report, "In The Face Of Fear", says the two trends are linked. The more fearful people feel in the general population, the more are tipped over into clinical anxiety problems, with an increased risk of heart disease, digestive troubles, asthma and allergies.
The charity blames a "culture of fear", stoked by threatening news reports, politicians using "worst-case scenario" language, and institutions fostering an air of catastrophe around knife crime, MRSA, bird flu and terrorism.
It says the use of measures to reduce fear – such as CCTV cameras (of which the UK has more than the rest of Europe put together) – can have the opposite effect. "Such devices can actually make people feel more fearful as they sense that high security suggests risk. Fear of crime continues to rise, even though crime has fallen in the last decade," the report says.
The financial crisis is increasing levels of fear, with two-thirds of those surveyed reporting greater insecurity as a result. Anxiety UK, the largest anxiety disorders charity, reported a doubling of calls to its helpline in the first two months of the year. But fear is also making the crisis worse as people are too afraid to lend, spend and invest. "The emotion is over-riding logical thinking", which is "partly driving the economic crisis", the report says.
The most vulnerable are those who are single, divorced, poor, poorly educated, living in towns, on their own or as lone parents. Four times as many people live alone today than 50 years ago, but too few people seek help, with one in seven people with anxiety and depression receiving treatment.
Nicky Lidbetter, chief executive of Anxiety UK, said: "We have experienced an unprecedented number of enquiries since the beginning of the year from people seeking help largely due to the economic crisis."
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Comments
The first thing ubiquitous camera surveillance does is alter the expectations and mental attitudes of those being surveyed. One's natural humanity is suppressed or destroyed, and everyone begins to suspect everybody else. Thus, society enters a condition of mass hysteria and/or mass depression. If anyone truly believes Britain can engineer an economic recovery under these conditions, then he or she is completely and utterly deluded.
Britain's Police Forces are already operating under Corpus Juris, which is the European system of justice, where you are guilty until proven innocent. Under Corpus Juris, the Police become an extension of the State, which consequently puts them above the law because the State cannot use the legal system against itself.
And to think ... all those pious idiots who voted for European entry and Federalism thought the EU was only about trade and tariffs, etc. Surely this massive error of judgement goes to show how naive and ignorant most people are.
Funny that.
Whether crime is slightly up or down on past years is irrelevent. The crucial point is that crime is at unacceptably high levels, and the government's response doesn't go anywhere near to being enough. We have a feeble criminal justice system, a grossly underfunded police service, and pathetic attempts to rehabilitate criminals.
As for the remainder of your comment, I can see where you are coming from, but you do show every sign of having an inadequate if not infantile understanding of our criminal justice system and the role our Police are supposed to play. Perhaps you should turn your attention to beefing up your brain instead of your biceps?
You might like to respond constructively by explaining, and in some detail if you can, exactly how Cameras on every street corner and highway around Britain actually improve the crime clear-up rates. Got any valid statistics?
thanks for your reply - sorry to hear you think it's infantile of me to call for more and better CCTV technology to help combat crime.
I agree with much of what you say. The quality of our police service falls far short of what we're entitled to expect. And their lack of accountability in suspicious deaths in police custody, and the Menezes shooting, is a major concern.
The role our police should play is to combat crime. If CCTV helps detect criminals, then I can't see anything wrong with it.
Another contributor posted the argument that crime is rising and the number of CCTV cameras is also rising, and falsely concludes this to be proof that CCTV cameras are useless. This is false logic. Without CCTV, crime would probably be even higher. I agree with the other measures suggested to cut crime (more job opportunities, more social justice etc), but why does it have to be 'either/or'? Why not have a combination of measures?
You ask how CCTV cameras can help with clear-up rates. Surely it's self-evident that if a violent offender is caught in the act on-camera, and the lastest CCTV technology is used to ensure clear pictures, then that offender is more likely to be caught than if there is no evidence.
And surely it's also self-evident that the more high-tech CCTV cameras there are, the more criminals will be recorded on CCTV.
Introducing better living standards, a decent education for all, a fairer distribution of wealth, no tax concessions for the rich, closing tax loopholes and offshore accounts plus investment in British industries and therefore apprenticeships would all have a far higher impact on crime levels than those who advocate the proliferation of CCTV could ever wish for.
It's another case of lets write a report but put no help in to it.
I got manhandled so badly after a 20 year absence from Britain I swore I'll never return. Forced to nearly strip down 6 times during INTERNAL flights in the UK, nearly dispossessed of my purchases because they weren't in a clear bag (I had no warning although the policy had just been introduced - I luckily found a clear bag in my carry-on.)
Then some "commando" asked to step out of line and asked precisely if I'd care to be photographed and recorded. When I challenged whether it was a compulsory order I was asked "Why would you want to refuse??". I went along with the "voluntary" charade to avoid being hassled but to no avail. I was "punished" for my questioning of authority (though the process was not any act they could legally enforce) by having every single item tossed out and being body searched, stripped of belt, shoes, lalalala - you get the picture. Fck the Stasi.
Then I was lectured for entering on my Oz passport though I'm a UK citizen (my UK passport had expired). They told me next time I might have to leave the country under a deportation order if I did it again! Total Bullsh*t. Deport a UK born citizen from the UK?? I stifled my fury at the ignorant lies I was being told and got out of there ASAP. Although I dropped over 3000 pounds as a tourist, the whole venture left me with a very bitter taste in my mouth. Goodbye Blighty.
all the scaremongering amongst Britains press and politicians is going to kill the country, not crime, terrorism or the financial crisis.
I'm 51years old now, and had my first of many major trauma's as a 3 year old.
The Mental Health Foundation is helping getting debate going, but much more in depth reserch is needed.
it might well be that due to great work done by many charity's such as mind, Rethink the Foundation, Mental Health Media, and now the time-to-change anti stigma campaign. has given many people the courage to seek help and be more open about their Meantal Health Wellbeing. there is still far to much stigma surrounding any form of poor Mental Health, including in the work place, I know this by personal experience.
it's not just the very real fear, of revealing you have a Mental Health Problem, its the real verbal abuse people endure in the work place, which surely effects the overall morale in the work place, especially for the sufferer of stigma, this has obviously, an adverse knock on effect in many ways.
including lessened production in the work place and economy in general, meaning less tax revenue, and more and more people, suffering worsening ill health, with an even greater burden on the tax payer, and health services, people turning to alcohol abuse, and drugs to combat their anxiety's and fears, real or not.
I have endured much violence stigma and abuse, I have witnessed so much more, this causes me to have the real fear of violence, and when I see news reports this only increases my fear, but we do need to be informed of what is going on in the world, so we can make decissions as best we can, individually and collectively as a community, I know much of my life has been needlessly wasted, but if I, and countless others could find a way to have our voices heard, just may be, we could make a real difference. and help save the planet at the same time.
Please Independant, push the Government and the voluntary and health sectors in to holding meaningful consultations across the country, Together, we can, (''feel the fear but do it anyway'').
Regards Paul Davidson,
Well said.
What concerns me is the way fear is encouraged by politicians with lies about 45 minutes to destruction and the rest of it.
A fearful electorate is a compliant electorate.
We are told that our security is under threat.
The truth is life is not and can never be secure. It would be very dull and uninteresting if it were.
Our existential condition is mortal and always under some degree of threat
The madness is to think otherwise, creating walls of phoney health and safety that prevent us living courageously.
How can he explain that living in Europe is soo much more relaxed that living in the UK?
When people like errol go to Europe they rant about europeans not following and respecting the law as much as they do.
I feel sincerely sorry for you guys, and yes I am aware of the positive aspects of British culture too.
My most sincere wish is for the brits to relax, drink less and judge other people less.
Of course, if one is on holiday one is relaxed...
And remember, it wasn;t the fairminded and reasonable tolerant Brits who concocted and adopted Fascism (that was tye Italians, then the Spanish and Germans) nor communism.
You may be interested to know that Britain is a north european country so we drink a lot in a 'dry' way; 'wet' countries like France, Spain and Italy drink more every day and have way more liver disease (for the few people who aren;t killed in road accidents).
You seem very anti-British. Did you learn your racism from those non-judgemental Europeans then? Or from racist bigoted religious manic americans?
The problem as I see it is that not enough people are sufficiently practised at being nice to one another.
CCTV cameras should be upgraded so the police can prosecute more offenses. Zero tolerance for crimes of violence or crimes against property should be our goal.
Let's not forget the charities wringing their hands are businesses now.
If there is a 'culture of fear' it's created by the villains terrorising innocent people who become frightened and anxious. Guns. knives and the bullying culture you see everywhere in the UK is the cause, not CCTV cameras which only record the state of things.
The best news that the media can currently muster is that Obama's got a new dog. 1) This isn't headline material 2) It's hardly celebratory and few will 'feel better' for it.
Get a grip and start publishing, balanced and acurate stories. We might feel better for knowing the truth.
Not only are the Brits no longer in charge of their own hosue but thanks to Labour the changes have happened more rapidly than in any other nation except by outright military invasion. In twenty short years Britain has gone from a confident country with a strong sense of self to a multi cultural (which means no self culture), multi racial, multi lingual, crime and terrorist infested overcrowded confused island. That's a thousand years gone in one reckless irresponsible Labour stint in office. A nation once confidently run by Margaret Thatcher is now a frightened nation terrorised by ever more belligerent Islamists and other militant immigrants groups. It's enough to increase any peoples fear factor. Blaming the media is a cop out, the problems are real.
Ironically it is the very hotch potch that Britain has become which is the main reason new immigrants refuse to integrate. They see no point. Immigrants confronted with strong national cultures tend to integrate as a device to get on in life and also because they can see that's what they're confronted by is worth buying into. But who would want to buy into a nation which can't even say boo to Islamists who flew in just a few short years ago?
It's also slightly ironic that many of the people who are most anxious about this are the same bunch who voted Labour in 1997, and in some cases in the two subsequent elections as well. Talk about being unable to engage in joined up thinking! Cause and effect anyone...; I guess "Things can only get better" must be ringing a bit hollow for some partygoers of May 1997 today.
I recall The Sun's election headline of 1992. "If Labour wins today, will the last person to leave Britain please turn out the lights."; That's also rather less funny and far more pertinent today. The British are a lost people, refugees in their own country and in deep crisis. People are literally fleeing abroad. Sooner or later foreign investors will start to follow suit.
The truth is until Britain rediscovers some backbone, a sense of national self and of course its national borders then "Things are only going to get worse". And that's a promise not a pledge!
In other countries there are not many CCTV cameras - but tyey have strong fa,milies, little divorce, few single mother families and a traditional education system. They are patriotic and homogenous with a common purpose and a sense of decency. Have you looked at Londonistan lately? HELLHOLE!
But of course people are safer than ever before. However, these days thye media needs to shout and scaremonger to get ratings, and our society is also over-feminised and thus over-hysterical. We need rational men in charge for a start.