- A study by Canadian public health experts links income inequality to trends in mental health.
- This research suggests that feeling poor compared to others increases your risk of health problems.
- Solutions include reducing income inequality and investing in crisis and mental health care.
Maybe money can buy happiness.
But it may not be so much about how much money you have, but how much money you have compared to your colleagues.
That's according to a recent study by Canadian public health experts that found that stark income inequality is causing a mental health crisis.
The study, first published in fall 2023, suggests that feeling poor compared to those around you may increase your risk of potentially deadly health problems and substance use disorders. doing. Researchers call this phenomenon “death of despair.”
We assessed census income data, community health survey data, and hospitalization and mortality rates since 2006. The concept is modeled after a study published in 2015 with US-based data.
Over the past decade, Americans have seen inflation double, making it more expensive to find housing, buy groceries, and feed their families.
Recent data from the U.S. Census Bureau shows that from 2019 to 2022, the top 1% of U.S. households with incomes will account for approximately 26.5% of household net worth, while the bottom 5 will account for just over 6%, with the gap widening. There is.
Rising rates of drug overdose, alcohol-induced cirrhosis, and suicide have been a growing concern in Canada and the United States over the past decade.
Researchers said these indicators of community health deterioration are directly linked. to the economic situation.
Income inequality can undermine social cohesion and lead to loneliness
Dr. Claire Benny is a postdoctoral researcher with Public Health Ontario and lead author of the Canadian study. She said income inequality often causes feelings of shame and unhappiness.
Benny said the gap between rich and poor causes serious social comparisons, and people find it difficult to connect well with their neighbors when they think they suddenly have more or less money than others. Without the support and trust of neighbors, she says, social cohesion begins to erode.
“It's hard not to trust your neighbors,” Benny said. “It's hard to live in a space where you can't trust what's going on in your neighborhood or understand what's going on in your neighborhood.”
This decline in social cohesion may be one of the causes of America's loneliness epidemic, declared Surgeon General Vivek Murthy. Loneliness also has a negative impact on our bodies, increasing anxiety and stress hormones and hindering our immune and heart health.
Observing the ultra-rich through social media increases public awareness of income inequality and stir up anger against The idea that wealthy people are separate from the economic status of the average family.
Schwab 2023 Survey 61% of Gen Z and Millennials feel wealthy If they can afford a lifestyle similar to their friends', and their perception of wealth is primarily based on what their friends can afford.
Financial stress, and the loss of community connections that come with financial stress, shape happiness over time, Benny said. Complex substance use disorders are influenced by these social factors and are often accompanied by anxiety and depression, she said. She said historically marginalized communities and young and middle-aged men are at highest risk.
“Reducing income inequality makes sense from any perspective, economic or social,” Bennie says. “Because if you reduce income inequality, you reduce hospitalizations and you reduce deaths.”
Closing the gap between rich and poor could save lives
According to Benny, areas with large disparities in income and social capital tend to have fewer public health services available to residents. People without money may have more difficulty accessing medical and mental health services compared to their wealthier neighbors.
Bennie said harm reduction, especially for substance use disorders, requires increasing community access to supervised consumption facilities, crisis services and needle exchange programs. He also said opioid and drug policy should encourage a safe and uncontaminated supply.
Along with health care measures, Benny said cities should take actionable steps to reduce income inequality, including by taxing higher income earners, raising the minimum wage and strengthening income programs. Guaranteed basic income pilot programs are becoming increasingly popular in many U.S. cities and have been shown to help homeless people find shelter.
She said income inequality exists in all sectors, to varying degrees. Moving to a new city or neighborhood is not the solution. Improving public health outcomes and reducing social stigma around money needs to start at a broader scale by addressing economic disparities, she said.
“If we want to reduce the burden this has on human health, we need to seriously consider addressing the root cause: income inequality,” she says.
