Does Poverty Harm your Mental Health?

John McGowan, Anne Cooke, Angela Gilchrist and Rachel Terry discuss the effects of poverty and inequality on happiness and mental health.

In this discussion we focus on two reports. The first is forthcoming book from a London School of Economics group involving Lord Richard Layard and titled ‘The Origins of Happiness’. Even though this hasn’t yet been released it has prompted a great deal of debate, especially with the conclusion that poverty and inequality may be less important than good mental health for human happiness. The second document is a major report from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation written by the Mental Health Foundation’s Iris Elliot. This offers what may be a less surprising conclusion: that poverty and inequality are actually very significant in the development of mental health problems. Links to the reports and other pieces related to the discussion are listed below.

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Links to things we talked about in this weeks show:

While the book by the LSE group has not been published yet we obtained an advance (though draft) copy by contacting them via the following link.

http://www.lse.ac.uk/newsAndMedia/news/archives/2016/12/Relationships-and-happiness.aspx

The work of the LSE group has also prompted some news paper coverage and letters already including two pieces in the Guardian.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/dec/12/happiness-depends-on-health-and-friends-not-money-says-new-study

https://www.theguardian.com/science/brain-flapping/2016/dec/13/mental-illness-and-poverty-you-cant-tackle-one-without-the-other

Also there have been a couple of multi-signatory letters: one in the Guardian and the other in the Independent.

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2016/dec/13/looking-for-happiness-in-life-and-at-work

http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/letters/aleppo-west-cannot-take-responsibility-brexit-education-theresa-may-leather-trousers-letters-a7477191.html

There has also been a response fro the network ‘Psychologists Against Austerity’.

https://psychagainstausterity.wordpress.com/our-campaigns/origins-of-happiness-paa-response/

A link to the main Joseph Rowntree Foundation report (published earlier this year) can be found here.

http://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/publications/poverty-and-mental-health

Additionally, Iris Elliot has written a short accompanying blog.

http://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/blog/tackling-poverty-and-mental-health-%E2%80%93-what-we-know-and-what-we-can-do

Finally, Iris Elliot is interviewed in this short edition of the Mental Health Foundation Podcast.

 https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/podcasts-and-videos/mental-health-and-poverty

We’d be grateful if anyone wishes to leave any other relevant links in the comment section of our blog.

Producer: John McGowan

Music: www.bensound.com