How economic structures influence mental health
The Bulletin of the World Health Organisation will feature a new perspective piece by A/Professor Jo-An Occhipinti, Co-Director of the Mental Wealth Initiative at the Brain and Mind Centre, University of Sydney. The paper provides a compelling interdisciplinary examination of how economic structures and policies are intertwined with the mental health of populations, and how these insights can drive systemic policy change. This work was authored alongside an international team of experts, hailing from prestigious institutions such as the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, the World Bank, Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, Brookings Institution, Duke University School of Medicine, and the University of Sydney.
Titled “The influence of economic policies on social environments and mental health” the work makes a significant contribution to a special issue of the Bulletin on the Economics and Health that has shaped a draft special resolution that will be tabled for discussion at the World Health Assembly at the end of May. The Assembly aims to integrate the recommendations of the WHO Council on the Economics of Health for All into WHO’s work with member states and civil society to shape the economic underpinnings of health and wellbeing.
A/Professor Occhipinti’s paper underscores the urgency of working beyond traditional disciplinary boundaries to create health and economic policies that are mutually reinforcing. It also provides a blueprint for national mental wealth observatories, which provide essential infrastructure designed to monitor and analyse economic, social, environmental, and health data and advocate for coordinated policies across these sectors that could lead to improved health and mental health outcomes at the societal level.
Associate Professor Jo-An Occhipinti
Economic policies do more than shape markets—they profoundly shape our social environments, mental health, and collective wellbeing
“In many ways, economic policy IS mental health policy. Our paper serves as a call to reimagine policy making, moving away from policy silos and towards an approach that aligns policies across economic, social, environmental, and mental health sectors; only then can we build an architecture for nations to enhance their Mental Wealth and economic resilience.” says Associate Professor Jo-An Occhipinti.
Dr. Harris A. Eyre MD PhD, Lead of the Brain Capital Alliance and the Harry Z. Yan and Weiman Gao Senior Fellow in Brain Health at the Rice University Baker Institute for Public Policy, and co-author of the paper, applauds the strategic vision outlined in the publication. “This paper is a critical step forward in reframing how we perceive and invest in mental health and our collective brain capital,” Dr. Eyre states. “By advocating for systemic investment, we’re moving beyond supporting individual mental health initiatives; we’re championing an approach that embeds mental wealth into the very core of our economic and social systems.”
As the World Health Assembly approaches, the authors are hopeful that their contributions, alongside those of the WHO’s Economics Council, will underscore the critical role of economic policy in fostering not just improved mental health outcomes but also more robust economies and enriched social environments that contribute to the mental wealth of nations.
About the Mental Wealth Initiative:
The Mental Wealth Initiative was established to measure, monitor, and forecast the mental wealth of nations. It works with global research and industry partners to conduct interdisciplinary research aimed at enhancing societal prosperity and mental health through evidence-based policy and practice.