New Delhi: Living in poverty could be causing mental illnesses and vice versa, according to a recent study. Previous research has shown a strong link between poverty and mental illness, but until now, researchers haven’t been able to determine which causes the other.
Certain mental conditions are known to affect financial stability. However, the authors of this new study found that poverty “can lead to mental health problems.” They analyzed data from the UK Biobank and the international Psychiatric Genomic Consortium.
“We discovered that schizophrenia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) causally contribute to poverty. Conversely, poverty contributes to major depressive disorder and schizophrenia,” said Marco Boks, a psychiatrist at Amsterdam University Medical Center in the Netherlands.
ADHD is characterized by short attention spans, restlessness, and impulsivity, while schizophrenia involves a distorted perception of reality, affecting how individuals think, feel, and behave.
The study, published in the journal Nature Human Behaviour, used household income, occupational income, and social deprivation to measure poverty. Researchers then used the genetic information of participants to understand the effects of poverty on mental health and vice versa. They employed the Mendelian randomization method, which helps determine how a certain exposure (like poverty) causes a specific outcome (such as developing a mental illness).
“We were able to capture aspects of poverty shared between the individual, the household, and the area in which one lives. This enabled us to better identify the causal effects of poverty on mental illness,” said David Hill, a statistical geneticist at the University of Edinburgh, UK.
Using genetic data, the researchers identified poverty as a factor that can be targeted to improve mental health. They emphasized that recognizing the two-way influence between poverty and mental health can help policymakers create more effective interventions to break the cycle.
“The research provides robust evidence for the need to also look at social factors such as poverty when you delve into the development of mental illness,” said Boks.
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