MILANO – They told us – writes Valentina Neri on Valori.it, news on ethical finance and sustainable economydirected by Andrea Barolini – that the growth of gross domestic product (GDP) was the one and only objective to be pursued. That it was the one and only parameter capable of measuring the well-being of a nation. The result? We now live in a world on the brink of environmental and social collapse. A'”economia del burnout» in which, for the mental health of large segments of the population, unemployment paradoxically becomes preferable to a pressing job, with little decision-making power, unstable and paid too little.
The vicious circle between poverty and mental disorders. These are the conclusions he reaches the new relationship by Olivier De Schutter, United Nations Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights. After the previous one analysis of the distortions resulting from the ideology of growth at all coststhis new work by Olivier De Schutter focuses on mental health. Which is not just an individual issue. This is demonstrated by the fact that there is a sort of vicious circle whereby poverty compromises mental health and this, in turn, hinders attempts to recover from poverty itself. A correlation demonstrated by various scientific studies. On the other hand, economic insecurity is a constant source of stress. And a person who struggles to make ends meet also tends to put off accessing support services, because he doesn’t know them or fears not being able to afford them.
Poorer does not mean more subject to mental disorders. One might think that the poorest states on the planet are those with the greatest prevalence of problems related to the mental sphere, but this is not exactly the case. In low-income countries, increases in GDP per capita are accompanied by greater life satisfaction. In industrialized countries such as European ones, however, it is inequalities that have the heaviest consequences in psychological terms. And to have them on everyone. Poor people, or those who risk becoming poor, have fewer resources to react and therefore risk resorting to alcohol or drugs. Or on suicide, the fourth cause of death in the 15-29 age group.
A “pandemic” of anxiety and depression. Today, 11% of the global population lives with a mental health disorder, including depression (280 million people) and anxiety (301 million). The incidence of both of these conditions increased by 25% during the first year of Covid-19. Mental health problems have gigantic economic repercussions: the estimated losses are in the order of one trillion dollars per year. And if it is true that in certain cases drugs can help, it is also true that the profound motivation of such a “pandemic” does not only lie in the functioning of serotonin and dopamine. How much, rather, in the “growing pressure for greater productivity”.
A harsh indictment of the world of work. Olivier De Schutter’s study is a harsh indictment against a world of work that accelerates the pace beyond belief, puts pressure on productivity, pushes people to compete against each other. He goes so far as to say that, in terms of mental health, sometimes even unemployment is preferable to having a job that asks too much and offers too little security in return. Especially in this «increasingly tertiary economy that operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, in which precarious work and the organization of “just-in-time” production become the norm, and in which working hours are determined by algorithms”, thus being unpredictable.
How to overcome the “burnout economy”. What can we do to leave behind what the title of the study defines as the “burnout economy”? Investing more in mental health, first and foremost: today on average each state allocates just two dollars per capita, a figure that drops to 25 cents in low-income countries. We also need to invest better: today 67% of resources go to psychiatric hospitals, thus neglecting local services and the vast chapter of prevention. But, if there are socio-economic dynamics at the base, it is also and above all that we must act on them.
A new economic contract against inequalities. Pursuing a “new eco-social contract” that opposes income and wealth inequalities. Going back to giving priority to well-being and no longer to GDP. Fighting the precarization of work. By making social protection measures truly universal, instead of providing them – as happens in the vast majority of cases – only upon compliance with stringent conditionalities. Indeed, one could think about universal basic income: studies conducted in various contexts demonstrate its positive effects also on the psychological well-being of the population. “It is only by tackling this broken economic system and putting well-being above the constant pursuit of growth that we can begin to seriously address poverty and the mental health crisis that accompanies it,” concludes De Schutter.
* Valentina Neri – Valori.it
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