The toxic effect of poverty on children’s health | Letters

The government must act to meet the rise in demand for mental health services in deprived areas, writes Dr Sarah Hughes, while Jan Pahl calls for an end to the two-child benefit capIn the last 18 months I’ve found myself having to respond to claims that mental health culture has gone too far, that we’re over-diagnosing mental health problems and that we’re simply medicalising the ups and downs of life. I hope the children’s commissioner’s report (Children in England ‘living in almost Dickensian levels of poverty’, 8 July) is a moment for everyone to reflect on what the “ups and downs” of life look like for too many young people: going without food, cold and mouldy homes, and not feeling safe in the area you live.There is a toxic relationship between poverty and mental health. A fact reinforced by the latest NHS data, showing that mental health problems among adults are at record levels, with people in the most deprived areas hardest hit. Continue reading...

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