Letter: Drugs are to blame for rise in mental illnesses

Letter: There are 2.6 million people of working age who are claiming incapacity benefit and mental illness has overtaken back problems as the main reason for making a claim.

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Letter: There are 2.6 million people of working age who are claiming incapacity benefit and mental illness has overtaken back problems as the main reason for making a claim.

I believe that the widespread use of illegal, recreational drugs, particularly ecstasy and cannabis, is indeed responsible for a significant upsurge in mental illness since the 1990s.

I don't understand why the Government doesn't see tackling this situation as priority issue.

Nor for that matter, why there isn't any similar concern about rising levels of alcoholism.

The BBC at least should be obliged to air prime time public information features alerting the populace to the dangers of drug and alcohol use.

It's all very well the Government moaning about benefit claimants, but to do nothing to tackle the underlying problems isn't good enough.

Bob Jenkins

Telford

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