Juliana Blanco Ramirez
Gross Domestic Product (GDP), as a standard measure for economic metrics and market activities, has been limited to determining other spheres of development, such as social development. Understanding International Development from a cost-benefit analysis guides societies to extractive and unsustainable approaches. The current global paradigm focuses on measuring well-being rather than integrating well-being measures into decision-making. It is the biggest issue in creating a well-being economy (Thornton, 2024)
A well-being economy is essential for International Development; it implies cooperative work between government and private institutions. A well-being economy can be defined as one that prioritizes economic investment in social capital. The empowerment of individuals in the different aspects of their lives is the success secret of societies that understand the difference between value and price. The economic investment in social capital is key to continuing a society’s holistic growth. The equal distribution of resources into the diverse spheres of development is essential to creating and maintaining development that can be sustainable and not extractive.
International Development can’t be sustainable and non-extractive if the government’s approach is just from an economic perspective. Because the basis of political and business decisions is on human interactions, and it is the people who keep unfolding and growing the economic development. At this point, investment in mental health projects plays an important role in International Development. Mental health, as a conjunction of thoughts, feelings, and actions that guide people’s decisions and actions, is today one of the most stigmatized and ignored aspects of human existence. Nevertheless, the cost of mental health issues for the global economy is trillions of dollars annually. According to estimates from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Economic Forum (WEF), $1 trillion per year is lost in productivity due to depression and anxiety, mental health issues lead to absenteeism (missing work) and presenteeism (working while unwell), significantly impacting economic output. By 2030, a projection of $6 trillion is expected to surpass the costs of cancer, diabetes, and respiratory diseases combined.
Access to mental health resources is a life-changing situation in people’s lives. However, access to these resources is a privilege of a few first-world countries. A healthcare system with flaws became the biggest setback for people to trust in professional guides. Systematic racism at the hands of powerful structures leaves the poor of rich countries without hope in a persistent and almost undeniable cycle of poverty. On the other hand, in undeveloped countries, access to these resources is limited because of the social stigma that emerges within the social dynamics. Stereotypes, shame, lack of social support, and biases in information are the biggest enemies to normalizing mental health issues. Nonetheless, when we talk about it, it is important to understand that it can happen to anybody independently of race, religion, political affiliation, gender, social/ economic status, etc.
Access to mental health resources is a determinant factor for people’s success, in consequence for communities and the nation in general. It gives people the power over their lives and the necessary skills for mental straight. It brings to development projects the capacity to forge social capital to maximize positive results with transgenerational impacts while decreasing short-term results. Mental health outcomes take persistence, patience, and an understanding of vulnerability as the most important human phenomenon to succeed as a race. When we look back at the past, Mental Health has been left aside as a secondary/tertiary target for International Development, but it is mental health that is at the roots of armed conflict, global trade, and white-collar crime.
Political agendas that invest in social capital produce societies that are usually happier, productive, human-oriented, and cohesive. In an overall spectrum, it can result in a reduction in social problems like criminality, violence, structural racism, and power imbalances-just to mention a few. The long-term impact of development projects is the determining factor in measuring their success. Mental health should be a priority of International Development, not only because of the powerful positive outcomes in the multiple spheres of development. As a matter of fact, the lack of mental health drives societies to spiritual crises that perpetuate the status quo, where the powerless do not have the opportunity to shine.
Moreover, mental health should be included in International Development projects as a human right that we must protect since it dignifies human existence. It gives people freedom in their minds and in their hearts to think, feel, and act with empathy and ethics for the common good. It is closely related to physical health; mental health conditions can lead to physical conditions and vice versa. The somatic approach science has been taking for a couple of years is evidence of that. The unattended health spectrum of development maximizes discrimination and criminalization for vulnerable populations and, in consequence, is a risk factor for human rights. Also, investment in social capital guarantees that individuals can take an active role in their communities. They start to be agents of change and orchestrators of innovation for trauma healing.
Concluding, the approach that nations adopt for economic growth determines whether it serves as a direct investment in other areas of development or merely constitutes budget expenditure. When workers are gainfully employed, they support vital public resources through state and local taxes, they spend more as consumers supporting other workers, and they produce services and goods that boost the state’s economy (Californians for Safety and Justice, 2021).
References
Californians for Safety and Justice (2021). Quettin back to work. Revamping the Economy by Removing Past Records. Unitela Education and Innovation through Collaboration.
Thornton, T (2024). Developing the Well-being Economy: The current state of play. Global Development Policy Center. Economics in context initiatives.
Oxford Society for International Development 