One third young jobless in UK felt suicidal, finds study

One in every three youths who lost jobs in the wake of the recession in the UK has shown suicidal tendencies, a new report has said.

The Prince`s Trust youth index, the largest of its kind, shows that those, aged 16 to 24, who are out of work, training and education are significantly less happy with their lives, health and family than those with jobs.

"This is because unemployment has a knock-on effect on a young person`s self-esteem, emotional stability and overall well-being. The longer a young person is unemployed, the more likely they are to experience psychological scarring," David Blanchflower, a former member of the Monetary Policy Committee
and contributor to the report said.

"Previous research suggests a correlation between economic downturns and suicide levels nationwide."

The hardships forced one in every three jobless persons to feel like committing suicide at some point in their lives, said the report.

The survey, which was carried out by YouGov, quizzed 2,088 young people, of whom 130 were unemployed.

It found that a quarter of those who are, or have been, unemployed argue with their parents and families.

They also face a lifetime of poorer health, with one in 10 claiming that being out of work drove them to drugs or alcohol, The Daily Mail reported.

Painting a grim picture of a lost generation of young people who find themselves out of work, the report said nearly half of those struggling to find a job believe their life lack direction and a third feel depressed all or most of the time.

Statistics released last month revealed that nearly a fifth of 16 to 24-year-olds - more than a million young people - are not working, the highest figure since records began.

The Office for National Statistics data showed that the recession had disproportionately affected young people, with an 8 percent rise in unemployment among 16 and 17-year-olds.

According to the Prince`s Trust report, the jobless were three times more likely to say that they had no hope for the future than those in employment.