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An MP has voiced fears that rates of suicide and self-harm could rise as more people are forced into redundancy and made homeless.
Labour MP Madeleine Moon suggested that due to the current economic climate there was an "increased risk" of deaths and injuries and more incidents were down to fears people had about losing their livelihood.
Highlighting a recent survey by mental health charity Mind, the Bridgend MP said 10 per cent of people questioned had approached their GPs as a result of their economic circumstances, mainly suffering with depression.
During the adjournment debate, Moon said: "When people take their own lives and self-harm and why they do it, it is complex and often individual.
"But running through too many incidents are worries about money and debt and the loss of status and esteem often associated with unemployment and fears about a house or job loss.
"Increases in personal debt, bankruptcy, homelessness and unemployment that can follow can substantially increase the incidence of suicide and self-harm."
Moon, whose Bridgend constituency has seen a spate of suicides in recent years, called for tougher regulation of websites which glorified self-harm and suicide and said she wanted to ensure frontline staff in Jobcentre Plus had access to training of and support for people's mental health needs.
She said: "Employers and trade unions must be mindful of the potential risk to mental health of redundancy and that workers are given the help and support they need."
The MP added: "Most people who lose their jobs and their homes or their business in a recession do not (commit) suicide or self-harm.
"But we must be aware of the increased risk in the current economic climate and this must be addressed by government."
Care services minister Paul Burstow said statistics pointed to a 6 per cent increase in suicides between 2007 and 2008 when Britain was in recession.
He said long-term unemployment had a "hugely corrosive" effect on a person's mental health and those out of work for an extended period were 35 times more likely to commit suicide than those in stable employment.
Burstow added that the government was committed to mending "the psychological as well as economic scars of the past recession".
With almost 500,000 public sector jobs set to be lost as a result of the CSR, he added: "The human effect of dealing with the deficit crisis is not something we can take lightly as a government, we don't take it lightly as a government.
"Many in the public sector will be feeling anxious and concerned as a result of the spending review and this does demand, on our part, utmost vigilance in terms of how we support people's mental health in the months and years ahead.
"We are committed to mend the psychological as well as economic scars of the past recession to improve mental health services, promote greater community resilience and mental health and to do much more to help unemployed people regain their confidence and return to work."
He concluded: "I hope that we shall be able to deliver the changes that we all want to see, and ensure that we have good-quality mental health in this country."
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