OVER the last 18 months we have seen some extraordinary examples of compassion and kindness across our communities. We have also seen governments act quickly to support households at risk of poverty. So, it is astonishing that in 2021 we are still living in a vastly unequal society. More than one million people, and almost a quarter of all children in Scotland, live in poverty. The values we have witnessed during the pandemic are not reflected in the daily lives of many people in our country.
Our mental health is shaped by our environments. Our social, economic and physical environments all play a part in building and maintaining our wellbeing. Mental health problems are not evenly distributed across the whole population. Poverty, inequality and discrimination place some at a much higher risk.
Poverty is linked to increased rates of anxiety, depression and psychosis, a greater number of people being admitted to hospital for psychiatric conditions and more people passing away from “deaths of despair”, including suicide and drug and alcohol-related deaths.
READ MORE: Child poverty targets ‘in danger of being missed’, charity says
Studies suggest that, compared to those living in affluent areas, adults living in Scotland’s most deprived areas are twice as likely to experience anxiety or depression, are three times more likely to die from suicide and are 18 times more likely to have a drug-related death.
Research by Public Health Scotland has also identified children in the lowest income households are four times more likely to experience mental health problems, with consequences extending into adulthood.
As if the challenges of living every day uncertain of whether you can afford adequate food, shelter or warmth aren’t damaging enough, people who are living in poverty must contend with unfair labels and perceptions of being lazy, incompetent or liars.
This stigma and the suggestion that poverty is caused by a personal failing can negatively impact a person’s confidence and self-esteem, further driving the likelihood of developing a mental health problem.
Today is the UN International Day for the Eradication of Poverty – a timely moment to acknowledge that by eliminating poverty we could substantially reduce the extent of mental health problems in Scotland.
Because we know that a focus on reducing poverty is a focus on improving mental health, we at the Mental Health Foundation in Scotland and The Poverty Alliance are committed to working together towards change. We hope that this year will be among the last where we are still despairing of high rates of poverty in Scotland and the negative impact it has in every area of people’s lives.
To make this hope a reality, we must work under an ethos of collaboration and participation. Governments, charities, the private sector, communities and people affected by poverty taking collective action will help us create the Wellbeing Society that we all need to thrive.
Research has shown that the greater the inequity in a society, the poorer the outcomes for everyone, rich or poor, within that community. So, that’s why we must move more quickly on measures to eliminate poverty including increasing child payments, providing more affordable housing, ensuring every worker makes at least the Living Wage and providing access to mental health and wellbeing support in communities.
For too long, people living in poverty in our communities have had to cope with the double-edged sword of financial insecurity and the stigma and blame associated with their situation. We need to see fulfilment of the Scottish Government’s promises of a more equal society, which will in turn, tackle one of the most prevalent root causes of poor mental health.
And, for those who are lacking in empathy for people who are struggling to make ends meet, remember, a run of bad luck could find many of us in the same situation. How would you want to be treated?
Shari McDaid is head of evidence at the Mental Health Foundation and Peter Kelly is a director at the Poverty Alliance
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