Madam, - John Hughes (July 14th) ends his letter by saying that, as far as he knows, no one died of recession. Would that it were so: all the evidence from the deepest British recessions of the last century shows a clear relation between unemployment and increased levels of mortality, as well as serious declines in physical and mental health.
Recessions do kill, maim and destroy, which is why steps need to be taken to ease their worst effects. And no one should forget that the heroin epidemic in Dublin occurred when very many young people were left with nothing to do with their time. Recessions do kill. - Yours, etc,
EOIN DILLON,
Ceant Fort,
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Dublin 8.