New Delhi, Living in poverty could lead to mental illness and vice versa, a study says.
While previous studies have shown a strong correlation between poverty and mental illness, researchers said they had not been able to discern a cause-and-effect relationship between the two.
While certain mental conditions are known to affect financial stability, the authors found that poverty "can lead to mental health problems." They analyzed data from the UK Biobank and the international Psychiatric Genomics Consortium.
"We found that schizophrenia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) causally contribute to poverty. In contrast, poverty contributes to major depressive disorder and schizophrenia," said Marco Boks, a psychiatrist at the University Medical Center. from Amsterdam, in the Netherlands.
People with ADHD have short attention spans, as well as restlessness and impulsivity, while those with schizophrenia harbor a distorted perception of reality, which affects the way they think, feel and behave.
For the study, published in the journal Nature Human Behavior, the researchers determined a measure of poverty, using household income, occupational income and social deprivation.
They then used the participants' genetic information to distinguish the effects of poverty on mental health and vice versa. They used the Mendelian randomization method, which helps understand how a certain exposure (such as poverty) caused a certain outcome (the development of 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 allowed us to better identify the causal effects of poverty on mental illness," said author David Hill, a statistical geneticist at the University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom.
The researchers said that using genetic data, they were able to identify poverty as something that can be addressed to improve mental health.
They said that by recognizing the bidirectional influence between poverty and mental health, policymakers can develop more effective interventions aimed at breaking the cycle.
"The research provides strong evidence of the need to also examine social factors such as poverty, when delving into the development of mental illness," Boks said.
While previous studies have shown a strong correlation between poverty and mental illness, researchers said they had not been able to discern a cause-and-effect relationship between the two.
While certain mental conditions are known to affect financial stability, the authors found that poverty "can lead to mental health problems." They analyzed data from the UK Biobank and the international Psychiatric Genomics Consortium.
"We found that schizophrenia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) causally contribute to poverty. In contrast, poverty contributes to major depressive disorder and schizophrenia," said Marco Boks, a psychiatrist at the University Medical Center. from Amsterdam, in the Netherlands.
People with ADHD have short attention spans, as well as restlessness and impulsivity, while those with schizophrenia harbor a distorted perception of reality, which affects the way they think, feel and behave.
For the study, published in the journal Nature Human Behavior, the researchers determined a measure of poverty, using household income, occupational income and social deprivation.
They then used the participants' genetic information to distinguish the effects of poverty on mental health and vice versa. They used the Mendelian randomization method, which helps understand how a certain exposure (such as poverty) caused a certain outcome (the development of 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 allowed us to better identify the causal effects of poverty on mental illness," said author David Hill, a statistical geneticist at the University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom.
The researchers said that using genetic data, they were able to identify poverty as something that can be addressed to improve mental health.
They said that by recognizing the bidirectional influence between poverty and mental health, policymakers can develop more effective interventions aimed at breaking the cycle.
"The research provides strong evidence of the need to also examine social factors such as poverty, when delving into the development of mental illness," Boks said.
