It is well known that mental health problems are related to deprivation, poverty, inequality and other social and economic determinants of health. Economic and political crises are therefore times of high risk to the mental well-being of the population and of the people affected and their families. The economic crisis that started in 2007 has continued to pose major challenges in many developed and developing countries. It has led to significant declines in economic activity, a rise in unemployment, depressed housing markets and an increasing number of people living in poverty. The rise in national debt is forcing governments to implement severe cuts in public spending. Significant risks remain in the world economy, and many countries are facing an era of austerity in health and welfare services.
Both economic and political systems are socio-economic determinants of mental health. Economic uncertainty is the high-risk period for the overall mental well-being of individuals, their spouses and relatives.. Lesson learned from the past, such as the 2008 financial crisis provide insight into possible problematic points and knowledge about mitigating potential risks. First of all, not all members of society are equally affected by the crisis. declines in economic activities may cause cognitive and affective disturbances as a result of the combination of many devastating factors, such as unemployment, downsizing of medical and social services, and cut in public spending .All of these combined with job uncertainty, and uncertainty of future, in general, cause serious mental damages, and result in the occurrence of intolerance of uncertainty induced depressive-anxiety disorders. Particular focus should be on the already marginalized groups, stigmatized or diagnosed individuals. The already existent diseases may become more intensive and chronic during the crisis like in the days of COVID-19. The reason for this is that many countries are downsizing their spending on medical health insurance services, especially in the public sector, and these individuals rarely have key resources available and access to private practice psychotherapy. Marginalized groups are expected to be severely affected by insecurity, fear of losing a job and reduced income, falling in debts, unavailability of essential goods, social isolation, and unhygienic living conditions. The crisis is already prompting even broader social exclusion of vulnerable groups by stigmatizing them. This may include mentally impaired, low-income families, unemployed individuals, migrants and undocumented workers. Extreme impoverishment results in cognitive, affective and physical deficit.
People struggling with excessive financial difficulties are prone to mental health issues such as depression, substance abuse, especially alcohol abuse, and suicidal tendency .The more debt they struggle with, the higher the likelihood of mental disorders According to a study after the rise of unemployment, there was a 28% increase in suicide rates in the EU. Leaders are required to intervene with strategically devised social protection programmes for risky hypersensitive population.
Mental health is an indivisible part of public health and significantly affects countries and their human, social and economic capital. Mental health is not merely the absence of mental disorders or symptoms but also a resource supporting overall well-being and productivity. Positive mental health is a state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully and can contribute to his or her community. Unsurprisingly, substantial research has revealed that people who experience unemployment, impoverishment and family disruptions have a significantly greater risk of mental health problems, such as depression, alcohol use disorders and suicide, than their unaffected counterparts Especially men are at increased risk of mental health problems and death due to suicide or alcohol use during times of economic adversity. Unemployment contributes to depression and suicide and young unemployed people have a higher risk of getting mental health problems than young people who remain employed. Evidence indicates that debt, financial difficulties and housing payment problems lead to mental health Impact of economic crises on mental health problems The more debt people have, the more likely they are to have mental disorders overall
While political unrest may not involve large-scale destruction associated with wars or genocides, repeated exposure to less extreme events may also have detrimental effects on youth. The recent spate of domestic political unrest in many countries highlights the tumultuous environment that large populations of disaffected youth are wrestling with at a time in their life course when critical decisions about investments into future wellbeing are made. Exposure to ecological stressors related to political protest events (both violent and non-violent) may not only affect individuals ‘mental health, but also their general future orientation, leading youth to invest less in established routes of success (e.g. schooling, employment) and/or adopt risky behaviors that affect their long-run development trajectory.
A holistic approach to the mental health challenges of the current economic and political crisis calls for interventions across several sectors. In addition to broad social welfare measures that go beyond mental health issues alone, the provision of mental health services in primary care, active labor market programmes, family support and parenting programmes, alcohol control, promotion of social capital and debt relief programmes constitute the cornerstones of successful policies and gaining the trust of youth through political awareness can prevent mental health problems in the population. There is also an emerging evidence base on the cost-effectiveness of these actions. The current economic crisis presents an opportunity to strengthen policies that would not only mitigate the impact of the recession on deaths and injuries arising from suicidal actions and alcohol use disorders, but reduce the global health and economic burden presented by impaired mental health and alcohol use disorders in any economic cycle.
It is important to remember that investment in supports for mental health will also have benefits in times of political economic boom as well as bust. Back in the 2004, Europe calls for work on social inclusion of stigmatized groups, among them the impoverished and unemployed. It is committed towards providing education, information and support programmes targeting these high-risk groups, as well as the implementation of community development programmes. We hope that national health authorities worldwide embody the commitments of the declaration, which are predicted to have a positive impact on the social interaction, niche and status of the financially strained individual in society. This is an example for Pakistan as well to set its economy and politics on right trajectory and improve the mental health of youth.
