Frustrations with modern world feed anxiety

David Quarrie, York.

Stop the world, I want to get off. Every day we see, hear and read about more people, of all ages, suffering from stress, anxiety, worry, fatigue, mental illness. Why?

Many have offered reasons like Covid, the lockdowns, cost-of-living rises, unemployment, increase in crime, extreme frustration, not being listened to, illness, unable to trust anyone.

All of these things concern someone somewhere, but I firmly believe it is often a more simple, straightforward situation that is causing so much harm.

The world has gone mad. Its priorities are wrong. The pace of life is too fast, we live in ‘tick box’ times. Almost every task, no matter how simple, now has to be done online.

It is virtually impossible to talk directly to a person nowadays in any big business, bank, NHS, police, travel companies, government, finance and insurance companies, and many others. What were simple tasks for all of us, no longer are.

The computer is king, the internet, whilst having a good side, has many, evil, dark areas. Today’s machines cannot answer so many questions and problems. I am 77, and like many my age, long for the good old days to return.

So many of today’s policies make life unnecessarily difficult and frustrating, i.e. closing railway ticket offices. The people in charge seem to regard any customer as a nuisance. My age group, on the whole, are the lucky ones, I do not envy today’s young. We need a rethink, end greed and the mania for growth. We need to learn to talk to one another again, and those in power need to listen. No wonder suicide rates are at an all-time high. It need not to be like it is.

Hilary Andrews, Leeds.

I was surprised to read (The Yorkshire Post, April 19) that over 1.5 million people being signed off as not fit for work and claiming benefits are suffering from anxiety or depression. Since it has been well documented that cognitive behavioural therapy as a group activity benefits both these conditions, surely it’s time this was introduced on a widespread basis for these individuals.

Being with a cohort of similarly afflicted individuals will help with their social interactions and will be a less costly way of treating them than putting them on a long waiting list.

Anxiety is part of life and mixing with others affected may help in getting some of this large number of economically inactive people back into work as an aid to their recovery. Sometimes the first step is the hardest and support from cohorts helps.

Jim Buckley, Ackton.

Rishi Sunak is right to tackle economic inactivity. He says we should focus on what people can do; exactly right. He goes on to say that support will be necessary. So long as the emphasis is on support, then all should be well.

The danger is that he will outsource it, which will be a disaster. Keep it in house, using some of the people brought back into work. Turn it into a training group. Then set up the people so motivated to become an employment agency finding jobs. It is much easier to get a job when you are in work. Remember that the people concerned are vulnerable, and they have no self-confidence. It is essential they are fully supported. That is what welfare is all about.