From patienthood to active collaboration: Advancing lived experience expertise in addressing the economic determinants of mental health

Economic hardship—including poverty, housing insecurity, unemployment, food insecurity, and debt—is among the most consistently documented determinants of mental health. Extensive epidemiologic and social science research shows that adverse economic conditions increase the risk, severity, and persistence of depression, anxiety, suicidality, and severe mental illness. Although social policies can improve mental health outcomes, relatively few interventions within mental health systems target economic determinants. Those that do are often professionally designed and limited in scope.