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The road to hell is paved with good intentions. Look no further than the world of mental health.
Let's begin with the climax of the story (so far):
The WHO chief announcing that the theme for this year's #WorldMentalHealthDay is "Move for mental health: let's invest." +
To quote @DrTedros: WHO and its allies are calling for a "massive scale-up in investment in mental health".
Laudable, of course. Mental health is criminally neglected worldwide.
Eg India's National Mental Health Mission has a budget of INR40 crore or $5 million. Laughable. +
Laudable, of course. Mental health is criminally neglected worldwide.
Eg India's National Mental Health Mission has a budget of INR40 crore or $5 million. Laughable. +
Meanwhile, says the WHO boss, 1 billion people across the world live with mental disorders.
One person dies by suicide every 40 seconds.
We need to "invest" in mental health - now.
So, what's the problem?
Just that. That language of business.
"Invest". "Massive scale-up". +
One person dies by suicide every 40 seconds.
We need to "invest" in mental health - now.
So, what's the problem?
Just that. That language of business.
"Invest". "Massive scale-up". +
Why? Because it fans *exactly* the poisonous narrative that the mental health sector must avoid.
WHO earlier said mental health problems will cost us a trillion dollars in "lost productivity".
A "massive scale-up" in "investment" will presumably plug this "productivity" loss.+
WHO earlier said mental health problems will cost us a trillion dollars in "lost productivity".
A "massive scale-up" in "investment" will presumably plug this "productivity" loss.+
This is ABSURD. DANGEROUS. Stay with me.
Our culture is learning to *luuurv* this correlation between mental health and productivity. To the extent that influential people tomtom productivity as a key reason to "invest" in mental health.
Samples from an ocean of such content: +
Our culture is learning to *luuurv* this correlation between mental health and productivity. To the extent that influential people tomtom productivity as a key reason to "invest" in mental health.
Samples from an ocean of such content: +
To be sure, it's an old tactic that when those who control capital refuse to do the right thing simply because it is the right thing, we need to appeal to their economic sense.
Pander to their enlightened self-interest.
Cajole them to do well by doing good.
Two examples:+
Pander to their enlightened self-interest.
Cajole them to do well by doing good.
Two examples:+
Climate activists: Businesses must go green because that's the only way to save the planet.
Corporations: LOL. Nice try.
Climate activists: Businesses must go green because green practices are good for your bottom line.
(Some) corporations:
+
Corporations: LOL. Nice try.
Climate activists: Businesses must go green because green practices are good for your bottom line.
(Some) corporations:
+
Gender rights activists: Businesses must include women.
Corporations: Get lost.
Gender rights activists: Businesses must include women because they represent 50% of the market.
(Some) corporations: Hmmm. +
Corporations: Get lost.
Gender rights activists: Businesses must include women because they represent 50% of the market.
(Some) corporations: Hmmm. +
Of course, you can see that this logic, while apparently clever, breaks down beyond a point.
Bottom line-driven thinking will always find a way to put the bottom line on top.
The moment climate consciousness or gender parity becomes even slightly inconvenient, they're dead. +
Bottom line-driven thinking will always find a way to put the bottom line on top.
The moment climate consciousness or gender parity becomes even slightly inconvenient, they're dead. +
You can have legal safeguards, but come on.
The world isn't a mess because we don't have enough laws. +
The world isn't a mess because we don't have enough laws. +
Coming back to mental health.
I don't need to tell you that it is our productivity obsession that turned the world into a cesspool of distress to begin with.
ILO says 2.8 million workers die/year because of excessively long working hours, stress and disease.
2.8. Million. +
I don't need to tell you that it is our productivity obsession that turned the world into a cesspool of distress to begin with.
ILO says 2.8 million workers die/year because of excessively long working hours, stress and disease.
2.8. Million. +
Another 374 million get injured or fall ill because of their jobs.
What's the mental health toll of productivity-hungry modern work?Too vast to put a number.
And yet, WHO, our top healthcare evangelist, can't champion mental health without parading its productivity benefits. +
What's the mental health toll of productivity-hungry modern work?Too vast to put a number.
And yet, WHO, our top healthcare evangelist, can't champion mental health without parading its productivity benefits. +
Behold the ridiculous logic of the Productivity School of Mental Health:
Productivity obsession is killing us.
So, we must do something.
Because if we don't, productivity will suffer.
Facepalm. +
Productivity obsession is killing us.
So, we must do something.
Because if we don't, productivity will suffer.
Facepalm. +
Thanks to this warped thinking, employers burn hundreds of millions on "employee happiness" - with an eye on productivity - achieving nada.
Even during a pandemic, we've seen bosses advocating employee surveillance to make sure no productivity is wasted.+ https://thecorrespondent.com/445/from-the-myth-of-meritocracy-to-the-rise-of-bullshit-jobs-its-time-we-admit-work-doesnt-make-us-happy/58910913820-a10d64b3
Even during a pandemic, we've seen bosses advocating employee surveillance to make sure no productivity is wasted.+ https://thecorrespondent.com/445/from-the-myth-of-meritocracy-to-the-rise-of-bullshit-jobs-its-time-we-admit-work-doesnt-make-us-happy/58910913820-a10d64b3
As I explained in this
thread, twinning mental health with productivity is taking us backwards.
Of course healthy people will be more productive!
But when you explictly make health subservient to productivity, you get neither.
https://twitter.com/toymango/status/1256951817197326336?s=19 +
thread, twinning mental health with productivity is taking us backwards.Of course healthy people will be more productive!
But when you explictly make health subservient to productivity, you get neither.
https://twitter.com/toymango/status/1256951817197326336?s=19 +
Making productivity the precondition for investing in mental health means throwing under the bus the "unproductive" -
those with disabilities, children, older people, communities that have been historically oppressed and not given a chance to be their most productive selves. +
those with disabilities, children, older people, communities that have been historically oppressed and not given a chance to be their most productive selves. +
We must discard the language of "investment" and "returns". Returns will come. Let's not pimp it.
"Nurture" is good.
Mental health is a FUNDAMENTAL HUMAN RIGHT we must nurture. Because without it, we have no freedom or dignity.
More in my latest piece https://thecorrespondent.com/764/investing-in-mental-health-is-doomed-to-fail-because-humans-arent-stocks/101141434064-87e09136
"Nurture" is good.
Mental health is a FUNDAMENTAL HUMAN RIGHT we must nurture. Because without it, we have no freedom or dignity.
More in my latest piece
https://thecorrespondent.com/764/investing-in-mental-health-is-doomed-to-fail-because-humans-arent-stocks/101141434064-87e09136
