Not so long ago, in a rural area of China, there was an egregious incident - a mother killed four young children and then committed suicide. This incident sparked a widespread discussion on Chinese resources, and many suggested that extreme poverty pushed the woman to take this step.
But can poverty really lead to mental illness?
Scientists have begun to ask this difficult question relatively recently. Despite the fact that the world has always had a fairly high level of poverty and mental illness, researchers began to look for a correlation between the two only about a quarter of a century ago. The data accumulated since then demonstrates that there is indeed a connection. People living in poverty are at a higher risk of mental illness. They also feel less happy.
In 2010, a review of 115 psychological works, covering 33 developed and developing countries, was published by several psychologists led by Professor Crick Lund of the University of Cape Town. According to the results of almost 80% of these studies, poverty is accompanied by higher rates of mental illness. Also, in people living in poverty, mental disorders were more severe, lasted longer, and had more unpleasant consequences. Moreover, the percentage of people suffering from depression in poor countries turned out to be higher than in rich ones. Having identified the relationship between financial and psychological difficulties, researchers ask themselves what is the cause and what is the effect.
Professor Lund believes that there is no single answer to this question. Mental deviations are the result of a whole complex of reasons. And poverty can be a factor, interacting with genetics, life difficulties, or alcohol / drug abuse. But until now, the facts are inclined in favor of the fact that poverty is the decisive factor, especially in the case of such a mental disorder as depression.
Of course, scientists cannot, for the sake of experiment, plunge a person into poverty and see what happens to his mental health. Therefore, they can only observe natural examples. In particular, during difficult periods (such as high unemployment or prolonged drought), the level of depression increases among the population.
Conversely, during periods of economic growth, people become happier. Princeton University professor Johannes Haushofer and his colleagues conducted an experiment in Kenya - they gave some families financial assistance in the amount of about $ 700 (this amount is almost double the annual spending of the average resident of the country). Families who received help showed higher levels of life satisfaction and lower levels of depression compared to the period before receiving money.
Scientists have also paid attention to lottery winnings. Contrary to popular belief that a big win can ruin a person's life, scientific studies show that lottery winners began to take less sedatives and sleeping pills, that is, they became happier.
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So how does poverty affect the psyche? Stress dominates here. According to some studies, the blood levels of poor people have higher levels of cortisol, a stress hormone. Rates of violence are also higher among people living in economically difficult conditions, and living with violence can exacerbate depression. Additional factors of influence are other circumstances accompanying poverty - lack of food, lack of money, a higher risk of physical illness.
In some cases, conversely, mental illness can lead to poverty - due to disability, prejudice, or the need to spend more money on medicine. It is not yet clear how to break this vicious circle. While financial assistance programs are showing promising results in improving mental health, it remains to be seen whether these improvements will last.
At the same time, there is insufficient data to determine whether measures to improve mental health can reduce overall poverty rates, and also why some people remain cheerful even in the most difficult circumstances.
It may be possible to collect more complete information soon. Professor Lund is currently in the process of creating PRIME, a multinational organization whose goal will be to introduce mental health treatment programs in low-income regions (such as Ethiopia, South Africa, Uganda). The results of the project are expected next year.
In 2013, the World Health Organization adopted a plan to improve mental health, which aims to improve access to health care for serious illnesses by 20% and reduce suicide rates by 10% in 135 countries by 2020.