More than three-quarters of British MPs face challenges with mental health
More than three-quarters of MPs in the UK face struggles with their mental health, a new report has found, according to Euronews report.
The study, published by the BMJ, found that 42% of British MPs who responded to its survey had "less than optimal mental ill health", while 34% had "probable mental ill health". Only 24% of those surveyed showed "no evidence of probable mental ill health".
These findings suggest that MPs are more susceptible to mental wellbeing issues than the general public or those in comparable occupational groups, the BMJ noted.
All 650 MPs with seats in the House of Commons were invited to take part in the anonymous online survey, which was conducted in December 2016, but only 146 MPs (23%) took part.
The BMJ highlighted the low response rate in its discussion and suggested that it could be due to ongoing stigma toward mental health issues, as well as concerns for privacy when working in the public eye.