Miss-Delectable
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The Herald
Deaf people are more likely to contemplate suicide than their hearing counterparts and have greater difficulty getting help with their problems, it was claimed yesterday.
Almost half of people interviewed by Deaf Connections, a Glasgow-based charity, in a survey said they had considered killing themselves.
They also found it difficult to join Alcoholics Anonymous or mental health groups which lacked deaf awareness and money to pay for translators, the charity claimed.
It highlighted issues such as isolation and communication problems as likely to contribute to depression among deaf people. These were especially acute among those who had become deaf rather than being born with the condition, the charity said, pointing to previous research which found 17% of this group suffered from depression, compared with 5% of the general population.
Gordon Chapman, chief executive of Deaf Connections, said people who lose their hearing often feel intense anger and frustration.
"It can impact on their work, social life and relationships," he said. "Even simple things like watching television or answering the phone can become fraught with difficulty."
A report by the charity highlighted concerns deaf children often suffer from bullying and isolation, are vulnerable and prone to low self-esteem.
Other deaf groups identified in the report as more likely to be vulnerable are fathers who feel excluded from their children's lives after becoming deaf, adolescent children and mothers with unrecognised post-natal depression.
The charity claimed that deaf children previously at specialist schools suffered more in mainstream education because they did not have such a strong group identity.
Deaf people are more likely to contemplate suicide than their hearing counterparts and have greater difficulty getting help with their problems, it was claimed yesterday.
Almost half of people interviewed by Deaf Connections, a Glasgow-based charity, in a survey said they had considered killing themselves.
They also found it difficult to join Alcoholics Anonymous or mental health groups which lacked deaf awareness and money to pay for translators, the charity claimed.
It highlighted issues such as isolation and communication problems as likely to contribute to depression among deaf people. These were especially acute among those who had become deaf rather than being born with the condition, the charity said, pointing to previous research which found 17% of this group suffered from depression, compared with 5% of the general population.
Gordon Chapman, chief executive of Deaf Connections, said people who lose their hearing often feel intense anger and frustration.
"It can impact on their work, social life and relationships," he said. "Even simple things like watching television or answering the phone can become fraught with difficulty."
A report by the charity highlighted concerns deaf children often suffer from bullying and isolation, are vulnerable and prone to low self-esteem.
Other deaf groups identified in the report as more likely to be vulnerable are fathers who feel excluded from their children's lives after becoming deaf, adolescent children and mothers with unrecognised post-natal depression.
The charity claimed that deaf children previously at specialist schools suffered more in mainstream education because they did not have such a strong group identity.
