Poverty

Poverty

In broad terms, poverty is the lack of financial means, which is usually measured as a family income that is less than $33,148 per year in the United States. Poverty is one of the largest determinants of mental health and has an impact as both a cause of mental distress and a barrier to seeking help. Due to the stress that poverty can cause through financial hardship, social ostracization, and general life events, rates of mental illness of those who are experiencing poverty are much higher compared to those who are not. Compounding these issues, seeking help for mental health is often a privilege that many cannot afford, due to the price of care and the time that is required to seek it and heal.

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In the United States, poverty disproportionately affects communities of color, especially for Black Americans. In 2019 in the United States, the poverty rate for white Americans was 9.5% while the poverty rate for Black Americans was 21.7% displaying a stark difference. This difference greatly affects the mental health of Black Americans, with those living below the poverty line being twice as likely to report serious psychological distress when compared to those two times above the poverty line.

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The relationship between poverty and mental illness is a global phenomenon, and especially true in Ghana. The issue is considerably worse when considering the economic conditions of the country overall, since the infrastructure for mental healthcare is simply not available, due in part to lack of available funds. Ghana, as a developing country, faces serious infrastructure issues, and this is very apparent in healthcare, and even worse in the area of mental healthcare.

In the book Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi, Gifty's (the protagonist) family is described as struggling for money, especially after her father moves back to Ghana. While we do not know if they lived in poverty by numeric standards, we could see that many of the issues they face are similar to those in poverty. When Gifty's family moved from Ghana to the US, they were enticed by the potential financial success that the US offered. However, upon arrival, they did not find the wealth they expected, working lower paying jobs as a live-in nurse and a janitor. The financial hardships they faced compounded the mental health issues that are seen in Gifty's mother and brother, Nana.