Shocking new research has today revealed that over a million people in the North West have suffered a deterioration in their mental health because of housing problems in their lifetime, and many are seeking help from GPs in the area.
The report from Shelter and ComRes shows 28% of people in the North West have experienced issues including long-term stress, anxiety and depression due to a housing problem over their lifetime. In some of the worst cases, people have suicidal thoughts.

The charity is urging anyone overwhelmed by housing problems to get advice from Shelter, after 1 in 17 (6%) people in the region said they had visited their GP due to housing problems.

An in-depth investigation by the charity with 20 GPs, including professionals from Manchester, revealed:

GPs say some of their patients diagnosed with anxiety and depression is directly due to housing problems

Bad housing is tipping people with existing mental health issues ‘over the edge’

Poor housing conditions are having the biggest effect on mental health but unaffordable and unstable rented housing are also having a negative impact

GPs feel they need more help in supporting patients experiencing these problems

Showing how linked housing and mental health are, nationally the research shows that a vast majority (69%) of people who have experienced housing problems in the last five years such as poor conditions, struggling to pay the rent or being threatened with eviction, have reported a negative impact on their mental health.

Shelter Manchester manager, John Ryan, said: “Every day at Shelter Manchester we hear from people who are at their wit’s end because they just can’t cope with their unstable, unliveable or unaffordable housing.

“From families worrying about falling behind on the rent to people struggling with the misery of raising children in a tiny, mouldy flat – people can feel completely overwhelmed.

“But getting advice and support early can ease the pressure and stop things spiralling out of control.

Dr Brian Perkins, who works as a GP in Manchester and took part in the Shelter study, said: “The high cost and poor quality of housing contribute to both creating and worsening mental health issues for many people in my experience. Paying high rents, unhelpful landlords and threat of evictions all add to the risk of increasing anxiety and depression.

“Patients frequently complain to me about their poor quality housing. I’ve seen the damp and mouldy interiors of some patients’ homes, and they are really quite unpleasant and not conducive to a happy family home environment.

“It’s a vicious cycle: when someone’s housing situation is poor, it can create mental health issues which then make it harder to pay the rent, and so the root causes persist.”

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