Emma Dean

Mr. Vandegrift

English IV

10 April  2020

Poverty and Mental Illness

Poverty affects thirty six percent of the world's population (VicksburgDelegates, et al.

2019). Poverty has been linked to “substance abuse, educational failure, unemployment, debt and

family breakdown” (stand-together.org).  Although this is the case, there are many organizations

around the world that are trying to make a difference by decreasing  poverty. Mental illness is

also a national concern because “19.1% of U.S. adults experienced mental illness in 2018 (47.6

million people). This represents 1 in 5 adults. 4.6% of U.S. adults experienced serious mental

illness in 2018 (11.4 million people). This represents 1 in 25 adults” (nami.org). These two

nationally prevalent and crippling problems are statistically significant. Is there a correlation

between poverty and mental health?

The effects of Poverty during Childhood

An article from Psychiatric Times states, “Individuals who experience poverty,

particularly early in life or for an extended period, are at risk of a host of adverse health and

developmental outcomes throughout their life.” After carefully analyzing this article, I feel as if

mental illness is more likely to arise in a child, or someone who has lived in poverty for a long

period of time. Specifically in children, the article states, “Poverty in childhood is associated

with lower school achievement; worse cognitive, behavioral, and attention-related outcomes;

higher rates of delinquency, depressive and anxiety disorders; and higher rates of almost every
psychiatric disorder in adulthood.” This means that children are at high risk of mental illness.

Living this type of lifestyle causes children to stumble, allowing their lives to be affected until

adulthood if they don't find any source of help early in life. Also notable is how poverty affects

adults. “Poverty in adulthood is linked to depressive disorders, anxiety disorders, psychological

distress, and suicide.” The mental distress that poverty causes in an adult can be more advanced

than the mental distress that a child endures. Although children and adults can be affected

differently, all of the effects are severe and should be recognized. “Poverty affects mental health

through an array of social and biological mechanisms acting at multiple levels, including

individuals, families, local communities, and nations.” Both adults and children can be severely

overcome by the problems caused by a lifestyle centered around poverty; therefore Americans

need to do even more to help prevent poverty at all costs. 

Poverty: A Causal factor of Stress

Poverty places strain on a familial unit. The lack of income can create substantial

financial stress. Uncertainty as it relates to paying for basic needs such as shelter and food can be

extremely stressful for a low income household. What are the adverse effects of stress to one’s

mental state? Short-term stress can enhance one’s abilities to survive and thrive.  This type of

stress can stimulate one to achieve or react in a dangerous situation with a “fight or flight”

response.  However, long-term stress can adversely affect one’s mental health. According to the

American Psychological Association, chronic stress is a “long term form of stress, derived from

unending feelings of despair/hopelessness, as a result of factors such as poverty, family

dysfunction, feelings of helplessness, and/or traumatic early childhood experiences” (The Toxic

Stress of Poverty and Its Effects). Prolonged stress can inhibit the body’s ability to retain normal

functioning of the cardiovascular and immune responses important to normal functioning.

“When the stress response becomes prolonged (chronic), it has a very different effect to the short

bursts that enhance the body’s abilities. In many cases, the system controlling the stress response

is no longer able to return to its normal state. Attention, memory, and the way we deal with

emotions are negatively impacted. This long-term stress can contribute to both physical and

mental illness through effects on the heart, immune and metabolic functions, and hormones

acting on the brain” (Crannage). Financial stress stemming from poverty could likely contribute

to one’s mental health if sustained for a prolonged period of time. And mental disorders

associated with prolonged stress include but are not limited to depression, anxiety, psychosis and

PTSD (Crannage).

A Case Study of Poverty and Mental illness: Jeannette Walls

A great example of someone whose life was overtaken by poverty is a woman named

Jeannette Walls. Walls wrote a book called The Glass Castle detailing her experience growing

up in a family that lived in major poverty. She writes about all the adventures and experiences

she had living this way as a child. A quote I found by her states, “I lived in a world that at any

moment could erupt into fire. It was the sort of knowledge that kept you on your toes.” She

explains her life to be something that was unexpected and a life that kept her on her toes

constantly, never knowing what was going to happen next. This type of life could be negative on

one's brain or could do nothing. As for Walls, her father was a desperate alcoholic that was

adventurous and wild. She never knew what he was going to do next. Walls talks about the

dreams that her father and mother had to build a “glass castle.” She explains that the dream her

parents had rubbed off on her quite a bit. She says that this dream kept her on her toes and

allowed her to ignore some of the negatives while living in poverty. In conclusion, I feel as if

poverty causes a lot of mental illness in people's lives, but most dangerously in an adults life.
The research that I have found reveals to me that mental problems when in the midst of poverty

shows more in adults at an older age and children at a younger age and it only gets worse from

there. As for Walls, growing up the way she did and having to live with a mentally unstable set

of parents, it may have been worse on her as a child to watch all of that around her. Therefore; it

may be worse for children as they dont have good examples and never learn how to be “normal.”

In an interview Walls states, "You know, there's a story behind each of these people." Every time

you see somebody on the street, there's a reason that this person is here. And the reasons are as

varied as the people themselves.” This statement helps one to believe that there has to be a

reason for someone to be homeless and living in poverty. This can lead to the idea that people

may or may not be mentally ill before they enter poverty. Jeanatte also states, “But, the kids of

the homeless, that's the real heartbreaker. They—they're not in a situation to change their lives.”

I feel as if this is really important to consider when thinking about kids in poverty and their

mental state.. If kids live in poverty, they begin with a disadvantage, may face more obstacles

and lack access to get the proper help they need. They have to abide by what their parents are

doing and are expected to live this way regardless of how they feel. I believe this can be very

hard on a child as they are unaware of what is going on and don't understand why they feel

different from others. Another problem that Walls faced as a kid was school. A quote from

Wall’s book states, “When I started sixth grade, the other kids made fun of Brian and me because

we were so skinny. They called me spider legs, skeleton girl, pipe cleaner, two-by-four, bony

butt, stick woman, bean pole, and giraffe, and they said I could stay dry in the rain by standing

under a telephone wire.” These types of comments towards a child could cause quite a bit of

destruction and stress. Due to this, a child could develop major insecurities and potentially

suicidal thoughts if they aren't strong enough to handle it. Walls experienced some of the worst
bullying, and it was simply because she lived in poverty and it was completely out of her control.

Poverty was evident in her and her brother's life and the kids and teachers around them noticed it.

Reading this book broke my heart knowing that these kids were completely out of control within

their situation and they were being bullied for it. This is where poverty could begin to disrupt a

child's mind and lead to dealing with these types of insecurities their whole lives. Poverty highly

affects children's mental state. 

A professional’s view of the correlation: Interview with Gayle Smith

The National Alliance of Mental Illness is an organization whose mission is to “provide

advocacy, education, support and public awareness so that all individuals and families affected

by mental illness can build better lives.” NAMI chapters can be found in each state, and I had the

privilege to interview the former president of Oklahoma’s NAMI chapter, Gayle Smith. I asked

her a series of questions about the connection between poverty and mental problems. The first

question asked was whether or not she feels that most people that live in poverty suffer from a

mental illness. Mrs. Smith stated, “I do not feel that “most” people living in poverty suffer from

mental illness. While it is true that education, safe housing and healthy nutrition are certainly

factors in poverty and do influence mental health, those components do not adequately define the

struggle of the mentally ill in our communities. Many that find themselves in poverty are able to

navigate through life well with the support of family and social structures. An individual’s own

personality can also lend a supportive quality to their wellbeing regardless of their economic

status. I do feel it is important for communities to lend support and help impoverished

individuals identify positive support structures, as well as resources for mental health practices

and programs.” Smith's response helps me to understand that a number of contributing factors

determine one’s mental state. Poverty can be correlated but it is not a definitive determinant of
mental illness. Another question I asked involved her experience with people that have lived in

poverty and suffer from mental illness. Mrs. Smith provided some insight into the types of

mental illness she most often found to be associated with poor economic status.“My experience

tells me there are “some” people that live in poverty who do suffer from mental illness” stated

Smith, “and in the cases where there is mental illness, schizophrenia along with mood disorders

would be the prevailing mental illnesses I have observed within the economically challenged

community.” These mental illnesses are very serious and will most likely affect someone for the

rest of their lives with or without medicine. Smith's information that was shared was very helpful

while assessing the correlation because she helped to understand that not every person who lives

in poverty suffers from a mental issue in their life. Smith also presented an idea for a solution

involving family and support groups. She also talks about faith and how important it is in the

healing process. She says, “The greatest factor I have found in the successful outcome of mental

illness is access to quality care and the support of a loving family. My experience also shows me

a key component for successful mental health outcomes is living within a faith based

community, that one factor is true across all socio-economic situations.” Smith's statement is

accurate and precise. Having a faith based community in the midst of chaos seems to have a

greater impact on those who struggle. Smith is greatly respected in her job and community and I

believe she has the right idea when it comes to poverty and mental health. She has worked with

people that have mental illnesses or have been exposed to people with mental illnesses for a long

time. 

Proposed and Viable Solutions to the Problem

There are a lot of things our world could do in order to reduce poverty. Although not

every person is affected mentally because of poverty, there are still people that do struggle in this
way and it's not good for our people. America has been attempting to improve poverty levels
over the years in which it has worked. Here is a graph I found that proves this.
This graph shows the poverty levels over the years and how it has gotten worse during certain

times and has gotten better more recently. The US has done a decent job at trying to help

families in need and do what they can to decrease the poverty levels. With that being said, they

have not reached that goal to its full potential and there are still a tremendous amount of families

living in poverty each day, barely getting by. I feel as though there are a lot of ways to reduce

poverty levels and help the people in need. 

Solution #1: Increase Employment Opportunities

The first solution that I feel could help to reduce poverty so that people don't have a

chance of ruining their mental health is to increase employment. In order for this to occur, the

government would have to step up and do a better job at providing more employment. Things

like building low-income housing, free community college, or providing low-income jobs to big
companies. Things like this could help to lower the poverty rates tremendously. Although it

could help, if there are people struggling mentally due to poverty, then this solution may not be

for them at the moment.Things like free support group meetings, opportunities for free therapy

and etc would be best for the mentally ill that are struggling in poverty. These are first step

things to help communities out of  low poverty levels. The Mental Health Statistics

states,“Employment status is linked to mental health outcomes, with those who are unemployed

or economically inactive having higher rates of common mental health problems than those who

are employed” employment would help people to get out of their bad situations and give them

more  opportunities to better themselves and make money. Although there may be some people

that are living in poverty and dont feel that they need help, I feel that putting more job

opportunities out there and giving them a choice to take it or not could still make a huge

difference. An example of the refusal of taking a job is shown in Walls book. Her father was

very stubborn and had no problem with the way they lived their life. Although he struggled

mentally, he still had plenty of opportunity to find a job in order to provide for his family, but he

refused. Her father chose to live in poverty and genuinely felt that it was good for them.

Employment is very important for families because it will keep them out of bad situations that

are easy to get into. I feel that the best way for them to get help in this area is to find an

organization that helps people with mental issues. This organization would consist of support

groups for the mentally ill or people that have loved with the mentally ill. The organization most

like this is Gayle Smith's NAMI organization. 

Solution #2: Community Support/Education Programs

Another solution that I have thought of involves an organization that specifically helps

people out of poverty. They would have the resources to help them out of their bad situations by
giving them tips and ideas to get out of their situations. They could also teach them how to deal

with money and find the job that suits them best. If there are people that struggle with poverty

and they don't struggle from a major mental illness, I feel that this idea would be the best for

them. Also, there would be a team that searches for families in need in case the people in need

have no way of contacting anyone. They would also be able to reach the people that wouldn't

reach out normally and give them an opportunity to know and understand the help they could

receive to help them out of poverty. I also feel as if it's a good idea for these people to be

Christian. Like Smith said, having a faith based community is the most effective way to help

someone out of poverty. If there are people willing to help others out of their problems and give

them faith, then I feel that this agency would be very impactful on the people in poverty and the

little hope they have. This plan could be very good for the people in need and I feel very strongly

about what it can do. There are so many people that live in poverty and dont have the money to

get the help they need. This organization could help them to safely get out of their bad situations

and allow them to feel comfortable while doing it. The mentally ill are desperate and they need

all the help they can get. This organization would make a big impact in the poverty world and

could help a lot of people. 

Solution #3: Temporary Housing and Food Shelters

Another solution would involve a place for people that live in poverty can go for free in

order to get shelter and food. People that live in poverty are typically under a lot of stress, which

ultimately causes mental illness. A place like this would help to reduce their stress. This type of

place could be planted in every state and it would always be open to the public. This could create

a lot of comfort for a person that has been living in poverty and could also give their kids a lot of

comfort as well. Having a place to sleep and eat for a while would show people that live in
poverty how important it is to make an income and be able to support your family and have a

house to live in. I believe this could help people that choose to live in poverty to see the other

side of the hill. This opportunity could change the way they think about life and allow them to

realize that what they are doing to their family is not good for anyone. This type of organization

could not only bring people out of poverty, but it could lower the percentage of people that

struggle with mental illness as a result of poverty. Also, I feel that this could be more effective

for kids because they would be getting a taste of what it's like to live semi normal. Their lives

will most likely change once they have the choice to live their lives differently than their parents

did. For instance, Jeannette Walls. Although she did not despise the way she grew up, she

decided to make a living and do something with her life. She chose to move on from poverty and

live more normally. There were a lot of things wrong with the way she had to live life under the

guidance of her parents and she didn't want to live that way anymore. This led to a more healthy

state of mind for Walls and she never has to worry about where she's going next in her life. As a

child, not knowing what's coming next can create major problems. Although it can be very hard

on a kid in this way, it can also be very hard on parents and can cause a lot of stress in their lives

that they may never be able to come out of. And without help like this, the chances of people

recovering or getting a second chance to do it right is much more slim. Luckily, there are shelters

for people to go to in times of trouble. For instance, there is a place called “City Rescue Mission”

in Oklahoma City. On their website, it says, “City Rescue Mission offers a path back to hope.

Instead of indefinite shelter, we offer a clean, safe, temporary place to stay and successful

programs and services to help people transform their lives for the better.” A place like this in

every state could help to make a huge difference in people's lives. 

Conclusion
 In conclusion, I feel as though poverty is very effective on a person's brain and is very

likely to cause a mental illness whether it's very severe or not. My research has proven to me that

poverty can be effective in many different ways. It has also shown me that “most” people do not

struggle with mental illness due to poverty but that “some” people do. Before beginning my

research I was very sure that most people do suffer from mental illness because of poverty, but

that was quickly shut down after my interview with Gayle Smith, the head director of NAMI in

Oklahoma City. She expressed that “some” people suffer from mental illness as a result of

poverty, but not most people do. Although not “most” people do, she stated the different mental

illnesses that are usually caused by poverty and they are very severe illnesses. So, I can conclude

that some people suffer from mental illness in this way, and when they do, it can be very severe

and hard to come out of. Another thing that Smith stated was how important it was for these

people to have a loving family and for them to get spiritual guidance when stuck in poverty and

trying to get help. I really liked this answer because it is very accurate. As a believer in God, I

believe that only God can truly save and bring someone out of a situation like this if no one else

can or they can't do it themselves. This is a huge solution to this problem in these times because

God is the only person that can fully bring us out of our troubles when we cant do it ourselves.

The spiritual support is much greater than any support without God in it. Ultimately, everyone

needs God in their lives to help them through their problems. Only God can truly save us. 
 Works Cited

“How Does Stress Impact Our Mental Health?” MQ, www.mqmentalhealth.org/posts/stress-and-mental-

health.

“Mental Health Statistics: Poverty.” Mental Health Foundation, 16 Jan. 2020,

www.mentalhealth.org.uk/statistics/mental-health-statistics-poverty.

“The Toxic Stress of Poverty and Its Effects.” Stand Together Foundation, 25 July 2018,
www.stand-together.org/toxic-stress-poverty-effects/.