Socioeconomic status and neurotic disorder.

Sir—Glyn Lewis and colleagues (Aug 22, p 605) conclude “The UK has experienced one of the largest increases in income inequality within the western market economies over the past 20 years, and this inequality may have had adverse consequences for the mental health of the population”. The main finding in the crosssectional study was a correlation between prevalence of neurotic disease and people who did not have access to a car and who rent their homes. Lewis and colleagues also provide references for increased prevalence of neurotic disease and for increased income inequality. However, they give no data on whether an increase in income inequality is directly related to increased neurotic disease. If their conclusion is correct, one would expect that the proportion of people who rent their homes and who do not have access to cars has increased over the past 20 years, which they do not attempt to show. This scenario would also assume that these variables were just as good predictors of standard of living 20 years ago as they are now (which is probably the case). Has the proportion of people who live in rented accommodation and do not have access to a car in the UK increased over the past 20 years?