Mental Illness and the Cycle of Poverty by Cassandra Jonker

Former Secretary-General of the United Nations Koffi Annan once said, “The biggest enemy of health in the developing world is poverty.” There are numerous ways that poverty negatively impacts one’s health and well-being. Many of the negative impacts affect one’s physical health. Poor work conditions can result in disease and illness, along with stress on the body. Those in poverty are less likely to have access to nutritious diets, making them prone to illness both now and in the future. The cycle of poverty is a devastating phenomenon, one that spans generations and bars children all over the world from a healthy and productive future. One often overlooked aspect of poverty is mental health. Mental illness can bring people into poverty, along with trap those who are already in it. With little way to help themselves, those with mental illness who belong to a lower socio-economic status often never see the end of their mental illness and thus the cycle of poverty continues.

Poverty in and of itself does not necessarily cause mental illness. Mental illness can be a devastating disease that strikes an individual on its own accord, not necessarily because of an outside event. For instance, anxiety levels are often determined by genetic factors’ effect on the amygdala, something that an individual cannot control. Poverty can, however, effect one’s mental health. Constant levels of high stress or increasing levels of high stress can cause anxiety, depression, or both. Oftentimes areas of high crime are also areas of low socio-economic status. The effects of crime can cause high levels of anxiety, along with disorders such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Mental health issues may not only effect the brain. For instance, prolonged seasons of stress can effect other areas of the body, such as the immune system.

While mental illness can both cause poverty and trap those who are already in it, it almost always makes an individual’s life less productive and healthy. Mental health issues can cause an individual to experience poverty by taking away their will to live a healthy and productive life. For instance, depression can be so debilitating that the sufferer may be bed ridden, unable to function, let alone work. Alcoholism, oftentimes a genetic trait that is passed through the generations, can ruin a person’s career and funnel out a person’s entire income. One can argue that this phenomenon is even worse for those already in poverty. An individual born into poverty is faced with stigmas, low expectations, little opportunity and an overall struggle to survive. Add a mental illness to their plate and the situation becomes seemingly hopeless. Mental illness makes the difficulties of a poverty-stricken person’s life even more difficult. For instance, many victims of HIV are below the poverty line, so it is no wonder that over half of victims of HIV suffer from depression. An individual born into poverty will find it nearly impossible to escape. They may have little to no positive examples or encouragement in their life, making it unlikely for them to envision a bright future for themselves. The effects of mental illness that are more than likely around them, whether it be in the form of anxiety, depression, PTSD, or alcoholism, will make their daily challenges even more difficult to escape; such is the reason why mental health issues propel the cycle of poverty. While the situation is indeed bleak, steps can be taken to reach out to those of a low socio-economic status who suffer from mental illness and thus alleviate the effects of poverty.

Access to better health care for those who cannot afford it will help bring an individual’s mental illness to light and thus alleviate the illness. Even if an individual does not realize that they are suffering from mental health issues, access to a medical doctor will increase their likelihood of being diagnosed. Raising awareness in areas of a high poverty level will also help to alleviate this issue. If individuals are aware of what certain mental illnesses look like they may be able to spot the illness either in themselves or in their loved ones. Making it possible for schools in areas of high poverty to have access to psychologists will also bring positive change to this issue. Catching the signs of mental illness early in an individual’s life can help them have a brighter future and make their chance of escaping poverty much higher.

Although the cycle of poverty is devastating and mental illness is a prevalent issue, action can be taken to ensure that people around the world can have brighter futures.