Mackett, R

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UCL Discovery

20th Annual Roundtable on Inclusive Transportation in Developing Countries, Washington DCJanuary 2019Travel by persons with mental health conditionsRoger Mackett  Centre for Transport Studies, University College London, Great BritainMental health conditionsThese include:• Anxiety• Depression• Agoraphobia • SchizophreniaTheir effects include: • Lack of self-confidence • Difficulty making decisions • Panic attacksWhy look at mental health?According to the Health Survey of England 2014:• 26% of all adults in England have been diagnosed with one or more mental illnesses; • A further 18% say they have experienced a mental illness without being diagnosed.The survey• On-line survey with link distributed by 18 organisations plus 3 individuals• 42 questions covering the characteristics of the respondents, bus travel, rail travel, walking, cycling and driving and the effects of having a mental health condition on travel• Survey carried out in May, June and July 2018• 385 useable responses receivedThe mental health of the respondentsMental health condition % of respondents with this conditionAnxiety 90Depression 68Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) 22Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) 18Agoraphobia 14Bipolar disorder 8Other 22Number of respondents: 385Average number of conditions per respondent: 2.6Causes of anxiety when travelling% of respondentsWhat other people think about me 69%Feeling out of control 67%Having to mix with strangers 67%Feeling claustrophobic and unable to escape 58%How other people behave 52%Feeling disorientated 48%Failure of the bus, train or car 47%Having to talk to staff such as bus drivers 46%Finding suitable toilet facilities 40%Getting lost 39%Having to take decisions about where to go 37%Not being able to obtain help 35%Remembering where I am going to 20%Using ticket machines 18%Handling money 14%Something else 14%Number of respondents 381Causes of anxiety when travelling% of respondentsWhat other people think about me 69%Feeling out of control 67%Having to mix with strangers 67%Feeling claustrophobic and unable to escape 58%How other people behave 52%Feeling disorientated 48%Failure of the bus, train or car 47%Having to talk to staff such as bus drivers 46%Finding suitable toilet facilities 40%Getting lost 39%Having to take decisions about where to go 37%Not being able to obtain help 35%Remembering where I am going to 20%Using ticket machines 18%Handling money 14%Something else 14%Number of respondents 381Causes of anxiety when travelling% of respondentsWhat other people think about me 69%Having to mix with strangers 67%How other people behave 52%Having to talk to staff such as bus drivers 46%Having to take decisions about where to go 37%Remembering where I am going to 20%Feeling disorientated 48%Getting lost 39%Failure of the bus, train or car 47%Finding suitable toilet facilities 40%Using ticket machines 18%Handling money 14%Feeling out of control 67%Feeling claustrophobic and unable to escape 58%Not being able to obtain help 35%Something else 14%Number of respondents 381Interacting with other people• ‘I was in a station and the noise and crowds made me feel very anxious and disoriented - I felt like I was trapped and couldn’t see away out - I ended up crouching on the floor and crying’. [Male aged 41-50].And:• Train became severely overcrowded at Clapham Junction. Caused a massive panic attack. I was crying, sweating, shaking etc. Someone kindly offered me a seat when my legs buckled. Someone else gave me a bottle of water’. [Female aged 41-50].Dealing with strangers• Strangers can be helpful:‘I've had panic attacks when travelling which leave me exhausted, embarrassed and confused. I've needed to rely on the help of strangers to help me and get me home’. [Female aged 31-40].• However, they can also take advantage of a fellow traveller:‘I have offered people money to give up their seat for me. Last time it cost me £30’. [Female aged 41-50].How often having a mental health condition prevents people from going out% of respondentsFrequently 35Occasionally 33Rarely 25Never 8Total 100Number of respondents = 384% of respondents prevented from buying rail tickets in advance because of their mental health condition Yes No I do not travel by train54 32 14Number of respondents: 379 Euston to Manchester Piccadilly  Choose another journey   Book now  One way from only  £27.00*  Standard   On the day  One way from  £82.90*  Standard    Source: Virgin Trains email sent 2 November 2017

Travel by persons with mental health conditions

https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10067089/1/Workshop%20Washington%20Jan%202019%20Mackett.pdf

Travel by persons with mental health conditions

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