Pink Slip Worries Give People the Blues, Accent Need for Swift Action on Employment

While unemployment lines lengthen, so might they soon increase in doctor’s offices and jails if the past is the good teacher we think it is. That’s because job loss can create both physical and mental health problems, causing people to need medical attention or to act out their feelings in violent ways. That has been true during previous times of high job loss and knowing that might influence legislators to move quickly on Barack Obama’s projected public employment program the new President-elect has discussed in his statements about hiring workers for 2 million jobs to help rebuild the country’s infrastructure. Science Daily reported in January 2008 outcomes from a University of Michigan study showing a substantial relationship between job loss and problems with health . Sarah Burgard, assistant professor of sociology with appointments in the Institute for Social Research and the School of Public Health, maintains that recognizing this connection, the government should use the information to help shape policy. Her motivation for this statement is to increase funding for mental health research related to the unemployed population, however the importance of that research is highlighted by the fact that very high unemployment may soon be upon us. Problems related to unemployment and prevention of mental health and physical illnesses seem to be a potential worldwide need. The BBN, a leading Estonian business channel, reports a difficulty in getting people to support reform initiatives because they are absorbed in worries about job loss. The anticipation of losing a job is also considered to be a trigger for depression, as shown by the fact that more and more people are complaining about feeling stressed or depressed during these hard luck times. The urgency of the Barack Administration doing something quickly about job losses after assuming the mantle of leadership in January of 2009 is underlined by the fact that financial advisors project an 8% unemployment rate a real possibility. Bill Scher of the Democratic Underground, an Internet website devoted to reporting news and information before it reaches major media, recently encapsulated information from the Daily Hampshire Gazette in Northampton, Maryland where the offices of Democratic Underground are located. Scher observes the papers report that unemployment lines in his area have more than doubled since the same time last year in several of the counties of Maryland, enough so that there isn’t enough staff to deal with the problem. While there are already newspaper headlines about crime and mental illness related to the deepening recession, some worry that these will only heighten worries about that, cite sensational cases and not help solve the potential problems. If it is the business of newspapers to educate and inform, it is hoped by mental health experts like Dr. Burgard that news can support efforts re-employment efforts made by the new President-elect Barack Obama when he starts his re-employment program after his 2009 inauguration as well as mental health research.