Economic Instability and Mental Health

Synopsis:

There have been numerous studies on how economic instability affects mental health. In the US this is compounded with issues of lack of access to care and more general lack of quality of care. The result has been a mental health crisis; with unprecedented numbers of cases and suicide rates that have become a major cause of death. With modern economic downturns coming about every eight years, and a global economy progressively worsening, the outcome is not surprising. The Global Economic Crisis: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3705414/ The effects on mental health are felt around the world; but it's particularly interesting that the most wealthy country in the world is having such severe effects. It's clear that it's not about the amount of wealth that a country has; but about how it's people respond to economic insecurity.

The Doctor is Out: https://nami.org/Support-Education/Publications-Reports/Public-Policy-Reports/The-Doctor-is-Out The problem appears to be compounded; as diminishing returns have affected quality of care in the healthcare industry. This affected parity law; and the benefits associated with it, in unexpected ways. This affected the laws concerning practice in Clinical Psychology; in that they are being ignored. General Practitioners are now treating mental illness without the proper training or licensing; for the sake of not only cost effective care, but also sales of medications. This isn't economic instability affecting public mental health alone; it's also affecting the mental healthcare industry, by essentially, incrementally eliminating it.

Suicide Statistics: https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/suicide

Suicides in the US have become a major cause of death; as numbers reach almost 46,000 a year. This has an impact on unemployment rates; as a portion of the number is not added to it... because they are now gone. It also has a significant impact on the reported labor shortage; for the same reason. It also has a significant impact on the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries; for the same reason. It has an impact on every industry; for the same reason... because... they... are... gone. Economics and Ethics: The very purpose of an economy is to support a population through cooperative efforts. This outcome is the very worst manner of failure that an economy can achieve. Ethics requires that these types of outcomes be studied, understood and solved for. Ethics are not liberties of those who lack responsibility. They are essential to a healthy economy and populous. Economy requires ethics. Without it there will be no economy; there will be periodic suffering in a self-destructive system. Closing: Niccolo Machiavelli was severely mentally ill and intellectually challenged; and Adam Smith was a fine example of both well adjustment and genius. It's imperative to understand that all share in the risks of economic insecurity; as the economic cycle affects everyone. The eventual collapse of an incoherent economic model; injures all that experience it. The modern, rapid succession of crises is a lack of economy itself and the ethics it requires; and it affects every generation, and every class. This is either an inflection point for adaptation... or self-destruction. It scales.