Turkish Psychiatry Association (TPD) demands immediate action to provide assistance to those affected by health problems caused by unemployment and poverty. As official unemployment figures rise to 3 million people, preventive mental health services are required for families and social groups faced with hardship, TPD warns.
According to the association, poverty and unemployment could cause depression, suicidal affiliations, alcohol and drug abuse as well as psychiatric disorders such as anxiety. "As economic crisis begins to affect the individual, it progresses as crises on mental and physical levels."
The Turkish Statistical Institute (TUIK) revealed figures concerning November 2008 and around 645 thousand joined the unemployed. Moreover, economist Mustafa Sonmez criticizes the methods of calculation employed by the institute and says that the real figure may reach 6.3 million people.
TPD's recommendations are as follows: