Mental health and poverty in the inner city

Rapid urbanization globally threatens to increase the risk to mental health and requires a rethinking of the relationship between urban poverty and mental health. The aim of this article is to reveal the cyclic nature of this relationship: Concentrated urban poverty cultivates mental illness, while...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Health & social work 2013-08, Vol.38 (3), p.147-157
Main Authors: Anakwenze, Ujunwa, Zuberi, Daniyal
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Child
Child Welfare - economics
Community Mental Health Services - economics
Community Mental Health Services - supply & distribution
Crime
Crime Victims - economics
Crime Victims - psychology
Demographic aspects
Economic aspects
Health aspects
Health Policy
Health Problems
Health Services Accessibility - economics
Health Services Accessibility - standards
Homeless Persons - psychology
Humans
Inner cities
Inner city
Juvenile Delinquency - economics
Juvenile Delinquency - psychology
Mental disorders
Mental Disorders - economics
Mental Disorders - etiology
Mental Health
Mental health care
Mental Illness
Poverty
Poverty - psychology
Risk
Risk assessment
Sex Offenses - economics
Sex Offenses - psychology
Social aspects
Social Control
Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - economics
Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - etiology
Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - psychology
Substance-Related Disorders - economics
Substance-Related Disorders - psychology
Urban Areas
Urban Crime
Urban Environment
Urban Health - economics
Urban poor
Urban Poverty
Urbanization
Violence - economics
Violence - psychology
Young adults
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Summary:Rapid urbanization globally threatens to increase the risk to mental health and requires a rethinking of the relationship between urban poverty and mental health. The aim of this article is to reveal the cyclic nature of this relationship: Concentrated urban poverty cultivates mental illness, while the resulting mental illness reinforces poverty. The authors used theories about social disorganization and crime to explore the mechanisms through which the urban environment can contribute to mental health problems. They present some data on crime, substance abuse, and social control to support their claim that mental illness reinforces poverty. The authors argue that, to interrupt this cycle and improve outcomes, social workers and policymakers must work together to implement a comprehensive mental health care system that emphasizes prevention, reaches young people, crosses traditional health care provision boundaries, and involves the entire community to break this cycle and improve the outcomes of those living in urban poverty.
ISSN:0360-7283
1545-6854
DOI:10.1093/hsw/hlt013