Weinheim, Germany - Although the jobless often suffer seriously they seldom seek professional help, according to a survey by Dresden University Hospital published in the February issue of the German magazine Psychologie Heute. The magazine, published in Weinheim, noted that consequences of losing one's job or even fear of losing it, included psychosomatic illnesses, increased alcohol consumption, relationship problems, anxiety and depression.
The hospital surveyed 387 unemployed persons, half of them women, with an average age of 33. A little under 13 per cent of them, mostly women, affirmed a need for counselling or care in the preceding 12 months due to psychological or social problems. Only half of that group actually sought assistance, however.
The jobless are wary of accepting help from public health insurance companies and job centres, fearing stigmatization not only as "unemployed" but also as "mentally ill," the magazine said.
