Anti-depressant use 'twice as likely' for jobless youth

Long-term unemployed youngsters are twice as likely as their peers to have been prescribed anti-depressants, researchers have found.

Read more: Youth unemployment 'crisis must be tackled'

A study from the Prince's Trust revealed 16 to 25-year-olds who have been out of work for at least one year were more likely to self-harm and contemplate suicide.

Out of the 2,000 young adults quizzed by the youth charity, those unemployed for over a year were more likely to say they had no-one to confide in.

Martina Milburn, chief executive of The Prince's Trust, said: "More than 440,000 young people are facing long-term unemployment, and it is these young people that urgently need our help.

"If we fail to act, there is a real danger that these young people will become hopeless, as well as jobless."

Read more: Unemployment drops to 7.7%