Poverty and Mental Health

Question 1

What did Lund et al find in terms of poverty and mental health?

Answer 1

The majority of communities had a Positive association with prevalence, severity, longer course and worse outcomes.

Question 2

What is a major drawback to the cross-sectional nature of the Lund study?

Answer 2

Unable to say if depression caused poverty or poverty caused depression.

Question 3

How do poverty and mental health influence each other?

Answer 3

Via social causation and social drift

Question 4

What elements of the UN sustainable development goals include mental health now?

Answer 4

3: Good health and well being

3.4: In 2030 a third of premature mortality from non-communicable disease

3.5: Reduction of addiction

Question 5

What is the evidence that breaking the cycle of poverty and mental health is possible?

Answer 5

Using two reviews showing the impact of proving purely economical and purely psychological interventions yielded both mental health and poverty results respectively!

Question 6

What two candidate interventions exist for mental health in relation to Poverty?

Answer 6

1: Psychological:
Cognitive styles such as:

Future discounting, reduced executive functioning and external locus of control

are common in both poverty and in negative affective states. Therefore CBT targeting this could be a candidate.

2: Cash transfers:
Found to decrease depressive symptoms
Improved psychological wellbeing

Question 7

Who should fund and who should deliver mental health interventions?

Answer 7

World Bank and WHO see need via “out of the shadows”
Everyone should deliver, it is all of our issues!