Calls have been made for more support for out of work youngsters after a new report revealed that almost one in five young people in Norfolk have experienced symptoms of mental illness as a direct result of unemployment.

The Prince's Trust Macquarie Youth Index reveals that young women in the East of England are more likely to be affected by mental health problems than young men. The report comes at a time when long-term youth unemployment has been on the rise, with the county seeing a 244pc increase since the beginning of the recession, said officials from the charity.

Eighteen percent of the young people in Norfolk questioned said they had experienced suicidal thoughts, self-harm, panic attacks, feelings of self-loathing, insomnia, feeling inferior to others, difficulty controlling anger, drinking large amounts of alcohol, or taking drugs. Almost one in five 16 to 25-year-olds in Norfolk said they felt 'worthless', with the report showing this to be twice as likely for the long-term unemployed.

The youth charity, which worked with 841 disadvantaged young people across Norfolk last year, is calling for urgent support from government, health agencies and employers to fund its vital work with long-term unemployed young people battling mental health issues.

John O'Reilly, regional director at The Prince's Trust said: 'Unemployment is proven to cause devastating, long-lasting mental health problems among young people. Here in Norfolk over 1,500 young people are facing long-term unemployment and there is a real danger that these young people will become hopeless, as well as jobless.'

The charity's sixth annual Youth Index polled 2,161 16-to-25-year-olds. For more information, visit www.princes-trust.org.uk