|
?:abstract
|
-
Poverty and mental health Extreme poverty, measured as earning less than USD 1 90 a day by the World Bank, is accompanied by hunger, overcrowded living conditions, low accessibility and affordability of health services, limited educational and livelihood opportunities, and adverse life events associated with socioeconomic vulnerabilities Over time an awareness in the field of mental health recognizes that this vicious cycle of poverty and mental ill health needs to be viewed from human rights perspective Rise in mental health needs during COVID-19 pandemic COVID-19 is merely one symptom of the dysfunctional relationship between humans and nature, which is manifested through climate change, loss of biodiversity, habitat fragmentation, and domestication of wild animals (UNEP, 2020) The results of a Chinese study reviewing the effect of COVID-19 mitigation plans on mental health led Wuhan\'s Government officials to develop a multi-layered response that involved forming psychological intervention teams for key populations that are likely to be impacted by exposure to COVID-19 and its adverse risk factors (Kang et al , 2020)
-
This article highlights the linkages between incidence of poverty and the rise of mental illnesses globally in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic Globally, the COVID-19 pandemic has aggravated poverty and resulted in mental illnesses This nexus of rising mental illness in low resource contexts and increasing extreme poverty in lower- and middle-income countries (LMICs) in the context of the global pandemic is now blatantly visible These trends have not only exacerbated extreme poverty, but have also induced psychological distress and ill-health, thus significantly affecting general mental health functioning of people across the globe Mental ill-health and poverty are closely linked in a complex negative cycle It has been found that except for diseases such as schizophrenia, where the genetic factor could be a dominant factor, extreme material deprivation resulting from the lack of gainful employment, inadequate nutrition, and lack of basic amenities could precede mental illness There is existing evidence that poor mental health can be a cause and a consequence of poverty and destitution Common mental health disorders affect the wage-earning capacity of the poor as the individual\'s everyday functioning is reduced Challenging mental health condition also reduces the wage earning potential of individual because of lower employability The absolute material deprivation can also cause depression, anxiety, or traumatic stress (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved)
|
![[This page as RDF]](https://research.tib.eu/covid-19/static/rdf-icon.gif){kind=icon}