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A new study shows that burglary is a serious threat to people's mental health. The survey is from a British charity and a home security company. Researchers interviewed 1,000 people who had been burgled. They found that a quarter of them suffered from anxiety or depression and a quarter felt saddened by thinking they could not protect their home and family. Feelings of insecurity started for many people after a burglary. Around 37 per cent of burglary victims suddenly became afraid of being attacked in the streets. They had not feared this before being burgled.

A professor from the British Psychological Society warned that people underestimate how serious burglary is. It can leave people traumatised. She said: "Burglary is frequently seen as a minor crime….However psychologically and emotionally the experience of being burgled is likely to have a severe emotional outcome for many victims who were, up to then, leading ordinary lives." She said the experience led some people to want to move to a different house. Other people got depression, anxiety, sleeplessness and even had marital breakdowns.