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.

Copyright (c) 2006 Newsquest (Herald & Times) Limited. All Rights
Reserved

--
Shannon Reese





[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]