There are many terrible things about a prolonged economic depression. One is that the those can’t find work sometimes blame themselves and fall into depression, instead of taking it in stride along with the serious people who understand that the middle-class just need to suffer for a while:
So many people have been killing themselves and leaving behind notes citing financial hardship that European media outlets have a special name for them: “economic suicides.” Surveys are also showing increasing signs of mental stress: a jump in the use of antidepressants and illicit drugs, a rise in depression and anxiety among workers worried about salary cuts or being laid off, and an increase in the use of sick leave due to psychological problems.
“People are more and more uncertain about their future, which is leading to a sharp rise in mental health problems,” said Maria Nyman, director of Brussels-based Mental Health Europe, a multinational coalition of mental health organizations and educational institutions.
a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)
She’s a dangerous thug. And the worst German leader since Hitler.
Nom de Plume
Worse German leader since Hitler.
Worst grammar since your last post.
DougJ
@Nom de Plume:
Ha ha.
Ash Can
To be honest, I don’t know if it’s her or the absolutely fucking insane idea of imposing the same currency upon all the disparate nation-economies of Europe. If the euro survives long-term, I’ll be surprised.
BillinGlendaleCA
@Ash Can: An economic union without a strong political union doesn’t seem to work all that well.
If only Obama had given her a back rub, all this could have been avoided.
Anoniminous
@Ash Can:
The EU leaders seem determined to recapitulate what happened while the the first US constitution – the one nobody talks about – was in force: Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union.
Kolohe
Well, Erich Honecker was kind of a dick.
r€nato
the economic suicides are a feature, not a bug of
social darwinismausterity.JGabriel
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DougJ, is the title a Richard Thompson reference, or some other song? The “they” is throwing me off.
.
DougJ
@JGabriel:
You got it.
Ruckus
Being out of a job and having very little prospect of finding one worth the time/gas money of getting to, is rather depressing. Especially after 5 decades of working. To hope that one could make just a few more working years before starting SS and retirement is not a huge goal in life. It really does feel better being even a little productive rather than feeling fucking useless.
Arclite
@DougJ: Impressive commentariat that it only took until comment 9 for someone to nail the reference.
Dad was is a big R Thompson fan, that’s how I know, but he’s not very well known actually.
Calouste
@Ash Can:
The euro has existed since the late 1970s, except it was called the Deutschmark then, and not as formal.
Amir Khalid
The notion that illness was the consequence of your sins held Western medicine back for centuries. It’s interesting that it prevails in some quarters in Western economics.
Eljai
A co-worker killed himself shortly after the downturn in 2008. The firm we worked for decided to close the office in our city. My co-worker had worked in that office for 25 years and he had a hard time adjusting. He had some mental health issues, but he was smart and capable of doing good work. He just couldn’t land a job after the layoffs. Maybe nothing could have been done to prevent this, but I’m not so sure. I think he’d still be alive if he had a job. I would gladly pay more taxes for a government job training program or some sort of safety net to keep people from this kind of despair.
Svensker
Everyone beat me to it, of course, but awesome Linda and Richard ref. Yay!
Jose
Off on a slight tangent here, but last night, while having the tv make noise at me I heard a commercial that started out with the voiceover going on about how long term unemployment and money pressures contribute to sadness, depression, divorce, etc. It sounded like a PSA or a pitch for a non-profit help line.
Of course then it changed tone to offer career training at Kaiser or some such in the rapidly expanding field of mental health counseling…
1badbaba3
So if she is the worst since Hitler, and she’s made of wood, and Hitler = Obama, and Obama is the Metrosexual Black Abe Lincoln, and she floats…and…and… did I mention Obama = Hitler? Right! Then she’s a witch! Burn her! Dang, there has got to be a way to blame Obama for this. Some way to tie him to this fiasco. Oh, I know! Obama/Hitler 2012! This time it’s personal!
mary
Depression, divorce, violence and suicide are all side-effects of a bad economy. A new building was just opened at our town’s homeless shelter for just mothers and children. But all of this is ignored by those in power. And frankly it’s ignored by most of us.
Will in MUC
Yes, the Germans could be more generous. But, no, they won’t. It is very short sighted but very human. Germany has been living under a form of light austerity for years in which wages have been held down and where the banks were not allowed to go wild. This resulted in a nice nest egg, which was loaned to the Greeks and others. Money that was then wasted by corrupt governments and their beneficiaries. Now, rather than throw good money after bad, they have decided to see the Greeks off. Which is also better/cheaper long term. It is cheaper to take the hit, than to lend more to Greece. As a New Yorker I certainly understand the German position, how I’d love to keep all that money that goes to all those red states.
Plus, no one ever seems to note that the Germans are happy to lend more money if they have a say in how it gets spent. The Greeks just want it with no oversight, so they can keep paying 50 year old retirees 100% of their income.
And, no, Merkel is not the worst German leader since Hitler. She is simply the only one who has been in a position to put Germany’s interest first for a change. The war has long ended and Germany has proven herself to be a good citizen and European. The Germans have a right to say no, no matter that everyone expected her to just roll over and get with the program.
Haydnseek
@JGabriel: That was my first thought as well. Damn, I miss Sandy Denny. Thankfully, Thompson is still here, and still great.
shep
She’s not done yet, give the poor woman a chance.
r€nato
oh please.
1) Godwin.
2) calling a German leader Hitler/a Nazi… really? I bet they’ve never heard that one before.