That’s not exactly what he said but Andrew Lansley, the Conservative Party’s shadow health secretary, has been slapped down by the party leadership for suggesting that the economic recession may bring health benefits. This is what he did actually say on his blog:
I’ve been reading up on the impact of previous economic downturns on our health. Interestingly on many counts, recession can be good for us. People tend to smoke less, drink less alcohol, eat less rich food and spend more time at home with their families.

You can’t read this now as the post was swiftly removed from the Conservative Party website but to be fair he prefaced his statement by emphasising that for many the everyday reality of recession does mean human misery. Furthermore it certainly is the case, as he reports, that some economists have identified a variety of health indicators that improve during a depression, a notable exception being that of mental health. His comments have caused the inevitable political spat with calls for his head and Mr Lansley has apologised (presumably through gritted teeth).

What does this rumpus have to do with mental health? Well, Lansley was actually trying to highlight the impact of a recession on mental health. He suggests that the recession may lead to a 26% rise in the number of people suffering with mental health disorders by 2010. I’m not sure where those figures come from - they sound rather speculative to me - but what is clear is that debt and mental health are inextricably linked. Seemingly self-evident, it is a point reinforced by good epidemiological data. A study by Rachel Jenkins and colleagues using data from a national cross-sectional survey demonstrated this association, showing that one quarter of people with mental health problems are living with debt or arrears (compared to one tenth of the general population) and 10% have had a domestic utility disconnected. A timely joint initiative has just been launched by the Royal College of Psychiatrists and the First Step Trust. The aim is to provide guidance on supporting patients with debt and mental health problems, an area of ignorance for many health care professionals. The leaflet ‘Final demand – Debt and Mental Health’ can be accessed here and is informative whether you have mental health problems or not. So Mr Lansley’s comments, deemed nonsensical by many, are actually noteworthy. It’s a pity that they will be lost amidst the shrill cacophony emanating from the Westminster village.