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Poverty Is Destroying Your Mental Health (The Dark Reality)



Poverty Is Destroying Your Mental Health (The Dark Reality)

Living in poverty can bring constant stress and anxiety, which can seriously affect your mental health over time. In this video, we explore how poverty affects your mental health and the psychological impact of poverty on your well-being. Living in poverty can contribute to chronic stress and anxiety, which can lead to long-term consequences on mental health. We’ll dive into the effects of poverty on mental health and discuss ways to cope with these challenges. Understanding the psychological effects of poverty is crucial to breaking the cycle and improving overall well-being. Watch to learn more!

#mentalhealth #poverty

Writer: Dylan Swanepoel
Script Manager: Kelly Soong
Voice Over: Amanda Silvera www.youtube.com/AmandaSillvera
Animator: Marlon Gonzales
YouTube Manager: Cindy Cheong

References:
Haushofer, J., & Fehr, E. (2014). On the psychology of poverty. science, 344(6186), 862-867.
Poluektova, O., Efremova, M., & Breugelmans, S. (2015). Poverty and psychology. Higher School of Economics Research Paper No. WP BRP, 49.
Frankenhuis, W. E., & Nettle, D. (2020). The strengths of people in poverty. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 29(1), 16-21.
Brooks-Gunn, J., & Duncan, G. J. (1997). The effects of poverty on children. The future of children, 55-71.

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27 Comments

  1. @Psych2go on

    We're excited to not only explore new topics we haven't covered before, but also to bring our content to more people with dubs in multiple languages, including Japanese, Vietnamese, Hindi, Spanish, and more! 🎉 We also want YOU to be a part of our journey by helping us choose your favorite voice actor, animator, storyboard artist, editor, and writer of the month. Let us know your favorites in the comments below! Your support and feedback mean the world to us! 🌟 https://psych2go.net/psych2go-monthly-team-awards-celebrating-our-talented-team-with-your-help/

  4. @ArtairMcKinley on

    A lot of people fail to understand that having a support system, food security, safe housing, receiving medical care, job stability and financial wealth are privileges. Despite these things being human rights they’re considered “privileges” because not everyone has access to them.

    Growing up and living in poverty is traumatic. Money can’t buy happiness but it creates financial stability and provides options. I’ve been struggling with finances while constantly facing the threat of homelessness while trying to evade abusive relatives and my covert narcissist ex.

    I’ve grown up and am still living in poverty but regularly volunteering at pantries in my community and others, cultivating safety networks with virtual support groups and continuously educating myself are 3 of few things that help my struggle somewhat tolerable.

  8. @catherinecentea1767 on

    I'm very thankful that I was raised well, even considering that we weren't wealthy. 70% of students at my hometown school were either on free/reduced lunches or qualified for them. I wasn't one of them, but just barely. Thanks to poverty, I was able to get a college education and a job that I love, afford my own apartment, and have hobbies. Thanks to not having mental healthcare when I was a kid, I was forced to learn how to act "normal", and honestly I'd say I excel at it. I was a case that was fortunate to be poor.

  10. @lemonadeseller on

    Male poverty sucks. I am not in poverty but some family members of mine that are male experience this, They said they had a low paying job and wet dreams. Even after poverty some wet dreams. But now it’s rarely.

  11. @LilyIglesias on

    That's a great video. Well, I can't complain much about my childhood. I actually had a normal childhood. We didn't have much money, but I took dance lessons, then swimming lessons, and my brother took soccer lessons, and we went out a lot; they weren't expensive trips, but just outings in my own city, so I can't complain about the childhood I had. But, throughout my adolescence, our standard of living declined a lot and we spent years and years struggling financially. Sometimes we didn't even have enough money to buy a loaf of bread at the bakery; it was only enough to pay, for better or worse, our bills and our food. It was only last year that our life started to improve a little financially, but we lived on very little for more than ten years, I think. And I really agree that money doesn't bring happiness, but that only happens to those who have already achieved everything they wanted to buy and already have lots of it. There really does come a point where it no longer fulfills us. But for mere mortals like most of us who live on budget, we know the value of money. On the one hand, this is good, because it makes us more humble, it make us stronger, but on the other hand, it causes a lot of shame and pain, both physically and mentally. I wish that no one in the world had to go through poverty, especially extreme poverty. Of course, I don't think that everyone should be a billionaire, since there is a lot of inequality in this world, but what I mean is that everyone should have a decent life, without having to worry about what they're going to eat tomorrow.

  14. @craigmerkey8518 on

    Wonderful as always! I have an MA and worked in education for over 30 years. I have had the pleasure of working with all types of clients from uber rich to very poor, from many parts of the world. I want to say I would take a less advantaged client over a rich one any time ! The wealthy clients mostly were into themselves, already knew everything, and thought they could just throw money at something to fix it! Less advantage families showed gratitude and respect!

  17. @thereadersvoice on

    Being taught what I needed to know to be successful as an adult would have been so much more helpful than being blamed for all the family's problems, being deliberately left out of social gatherings, and being criticized for struggling in school. Just because your "parents" brought you into this world does not mean you "owe" them anything. I recently came to this realization, and I finally made the difficult decision to cut my parents out of my life. I don't need their shame, I don't need their indifference, and I don't need their smugness. It's not about money or inheritances anymore; they both failed me when I needed them the most. I have been trying for decades to build myself up, and I have had to do it all completely on my own. I never got an ounce of support, guidance, or direction from the people I should have been most able to trust. And, even as they get farther into their sunset years, they both still believe that they are innocent. No amount of money or inheritance can ever make up for that kind of parental failure.

    I'm sorry, I don't know if any of this is exactly relevant. I guess I just wanted to put it out there. Maybe my story might be of use to someone else. Take care, everyone. 🖖

  18. @shadowsinmymind9 on

    Both of my parents grew up on poverty in the 60s in Europe. Growing up, I didn't realize that the reason we always had a lot of food in our fridge was because my parents were food hoarding. It explains why a friend of mines jaw dropped when he saw inside our fridge. It explains why my dad has never gotten rid of any of his jackets and shirts and why my mom has 40, yes 40 serving trays, multiple service ware, and refuses to part with her insane amount of Christmas decorations. Everything thing is saved, reused, and throwing out food is a sin.

  20. @dustinduzgames1276 on

    I've been without a "stable" income for so long I've lived in my car for 2 years and even when I'm working full-time I haven't rented a place because I feel like I'll just lose it anyway (it's happened once before) Now I don't work at all my savings dwindling and debt accruing just getting gas and food I feel like I'm on a time limit and no where wants to hire me as my situation grows more and more urgent I think more and more about taking my own life as things I have break and I can't replace them and I'm at risk of losing all I own in my car

  22. @valrie1650 on

    The biggest hurdle to getting good mental health care when you are still living in poverty is finding a provider who has some concept of the inside struggles of having no money. How can you change our frame of mind with CBT when you do not have soap or toilet paper after you run out? Most of them are too privileged, and they mostly end up in that field bc they wanted to heal their own psychological distress through their education, and be all “well that certainly sucks for you, how about we up your antidepressants?”

  23. @Kielsram on

    I don't know if I was looking for catharsis or justification to my life due to growing up and currently living in poverty. I don't think I've ever lived a day past the age of like 10 when I wasn't in "survival mode". As you get older you start to really feel the weight of the responsibility that money has over your ability to live. It's even worse when you exhibit poor short-term financial decisions that give you a sense of "living" only to have it bite you in the long run. Growing up I very quickly stopped celebrating a lot of holidays and even my birthday because in my head they were financially unviable to celebrate. This has affected my ability to receive gifts of any kind as I perceive it as a me being a burden to the gifter even though I know, for the most part, they don't perceive it that way. Even doing something like buying a treat for myself like a video game, a new piece of clothing, or even like a bag of gummies is a heavily weighed and calculated risk that I have to deal with every single time I go shopping. Also the fear of making the wrong financial decision is so consuming I give myself analysis paralysis, my anxiety spikes, and I begin second guessing if what I'm buying is even worth the risk.

    Sure these things give me gratification in the short-term, but could I have used that money for something more responsible? Am I earning enough that I can take the hit this paycheck? Is this something I need or something I want? Is this even the right thing? Is there a cheaper option that does the same thing? Did I work enough hours for this next paycheck? Do we have enough for [insert survival need]? All these questions and more always fill my head when I even have an inkling of buying something for myself that isn't food or bills.

    Living in poverty has also greatly affected my ability to pursue a relationship as well. On top of modern dating just being the worst for men in general, being poor might as well be a death flag to any potential partner I pursue. The social stigma of not being able to provide for your partner as a male is still prevalent to this day and having to choose between being able to afford basic needs such as food and shelter or going out on a somewhat nice date for a night is a no brainer choice for someone living in poverty. Even if we could really use the night out on the town, the fear of not being able to afford it still hangs over our head.

    These are just a few things. I'm not even gonna go into how medical and mental health needs are just near impossible to get. I'm just thankful I live in a country that has "affordable" healthcare. I say this in quotations cause honestly the healthcare system here in the states is uh… well… I guess it works. When it wants to and you're fighting it every step of the way. But that's neither here nor their.

  24. @Largo-y on

    Poverty is not all bad. We don't need all the things we want. Sometimes people lack more of the fundamentals, the more money and stuff they have.

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