Poverty and social psychiatry (original) (raw)

Oxford University Press eBooks, 2022

Abstract

Poverty has a complex, and in some places direct, relationship with well-being, and physical and mental health. The impact can be lasting, with consequences felt over several generations. Intertwined with social determinants of health and through multiple health inequalities, poverty can precipitate and perpetuate mental disorders, help-seeking, and prognosis. This is visible in the impact on childhood and households, as well as in the impact on the trajectory of mood disorders, psychosis, trauma, substance misuse, and personality disorders. Furthermore, the global and multidimensional consequences of poverty can manifest in both wealthy and low- and middle-income countries, as well as in the rural and urban divide. Against this backdrop, Sustainable Development Goals are geared towards the reduction of poverty across regions and nation states; however, catastrophic events such as climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic highlight how vulnerable these can be to disruption. By illustrating the bidirectional relationship between poverty and mental health, this chapter stresses the importance of poverty alleviation as a critical social, economic, and mental health policy priority in all nations.

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