Unemployed people twice as likely to be depressed as those employed, CSO finds

People who are out of work are twice as likely to be depressed as those in employment, an Irish health survey has found.

More than a fifth of people who are unemployed report some form of depression, compared to nine per cent of the working population. Unemployed people also report a poorer health status.

The survey of 7,621 people aged 15 and over, conducted by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) in 2019 and early 2020, also found that wealth has a significant impact on a person’s health status. While 92 per cent of very affluent people perceive their health status to be good or very good, just 78 per cent of very disadvantaged people view their health so positively.

Disadvantaged people are also more likely to suffer from high blood pressure, but they are less inclined to report being absent from work due to a health-related problem. While 24 per cent of affluent people report missing work due to health issues, just 16 per cent of disadvantaged people say the same.

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Non-Irish nationals view their health status more favourably than natives. Nine in 10 non-Irish nationals believe they are in good or very good health, while 84 per cent of Irish nationals report similar. People living in the Midlands - comprising Longford, Offaly, Westmeath and Laois - view their health least positively of Irish residents and are most likely to be living with a long-lasting condition. Just 79 per cent of people from the region report good or better health compared to 88 per cent of people living in the southeast.

As previous research has suggested, men are less likely than women to seek medical help or avail of preventative health services, such as flu vaccines or blood pressure checks. Of those surveyed, 68 per cent of men said they had visited a GP in the previous 12 months compared to 82 per cent of women. Men are also less likely to visit a dentist or medical consultant, but they are equally inclined to visit a physiotherapist or a psychiatrist.

People aged 15 to 34 are three times more likely to attend a psychiatrist than people aged 65 and over. Meanwhile, almost half of 15 to 24 year olds report drinking six or more units of alcohol in a single sitting at least once a month.

Over half the population is overweight, including 26 per cent of people who report being obese. Men are more likely to be overweight, with 61 per cent saying they are overweight or obese compared with just under half of women.

The Irish Health Survey is part of an EU-wide initiative and results will be compared with those of other member states when all the data is collated.