Mental Health on a New Housing Estate

(MAUDSLEY MONOGRAPHS, Mo. 12) By E. H. Hare and G. K. Shaw. (Oxford University Press, 38s.) "New town blues" was first described before the war by Lord Taylor as "suburban neurosis". (This work is strangely absent from the references here, as are the publications of the Institute of Community Studies.) The basic ingredients were: change from a long-familiar environment, separation from relatives, lack of public amenities, and absence of social cohesion as a result of "keeping ourselves to ourselves". With this, there was often financial strain due to higher rents, travelling costs, and the need for new furniture. In 1957, a study in a new housing estate in North London by Dr. F. M. Martin and others showed that there was a high rate of mental ill* health, compared with the national average. Hare and Shaw say this does not necessarily mean that the excess of illness was due to the social conditions of the estate. To find the effect (if any) of the environment, the population there should be compared with a similar population living in an older place. This is what they have done in Croydon. The results were similar to those of Taylor and Chave in a new town outside Londonbut different from those of Coleman at East Kilbride. No difference was found