Title: Mental Health and Poverty. Mental health info from Patient | Patient
Headings: Poverty and Mental Health
Poverty and Mental Health
This article is for Medical Professionals
Employment
Unemployment
Debt
Inequality
Child poverty
Immigration
Urban environment
Substance abuse
Criminality
Poor physical health
Further reading and references

Content: The 'social capital' concept is supported by a study which found that older people in Hertfordshire, UK, who had a strong sense of cohesion within their neighbourhood and reported fewer neighbourhood problems, had higher levels of mental well-being. Those with mental health problems are more likely to experience poverty: once incapacitated, an individual's socio-economic status is likely to fall further ('selective social drift'). One study, for example, showed a decline in social position and financial circumstances over time in people who were depressed. In another study, the GHQ-28 (a general health questionnaire used for the detection of psychiatric conditions) was employed to assess a cohort of people born in 1947. Poorer reported mental health in men (although not in women) was associated with downward socio-economic trajectory over the whole life course. Consider potential confounding variables: Employment
Having mental illness has a number of adverse effects on the ability to earn: When unwell, It is more difficult to study and to achieve qualifications. It is more difficult to obtain a job - mental illness carries a heavy social stigma.