The Mental Health Crisis Is Economic, Not Just Neurochemical

In Canada, nearly one-third of the population rated their mental health as fair or poor in the most recent survey, a sharp increase from just five years earlier. The numbers are stark and the trajectory is clear: by the age of 40, one in two Canadians will have experienced or be living with a mental illness. This is not a minor uptick. It is a systemic collapse of well-being that has deepened since the pandemic and mirrors a declining trend seen across the globe.

Eric Collins, a professor of health studies at Western University, has spent his career researching mental illness. He argues that the current crisis is not merely a spike in symptoms but the culmination of decades of shifting definitions and policies. We have built a system that looks for the problem inside the skull while the real drivers of distress are knocking on our doors, weighing on our wallets, and flooding our feeds.

The Checklist Illusion

For much of the 20th century, the discovery of brain networks and neurochemistry shifted the conversation from moral failure to science. This was a necessary correction to ancient views that framed mental illness as a supernatural curse. However, Collins warns that this scientific advancement has swung too far. We have over-emphasized biological mechanisms to the point where mental health has become a bureaucratic checklist.

People are labeled as mentally ill or given a diagnosis simply because they check off a specific number of boxes in a diagnostic manual. Collins calls this a fundamental mistake. It isolates the mind from the body and the environment. It treats the patient as a broken machine rather than a human being embedded in a complex social and physical reality. We are looking for a chemical imbalance when the problem might be an empty pantry or a lonely apartment.

The Cost of Survival

Collins identifies the current affordability crisis as one of the greatest contributors to our worsening mental state. This is not a metaphor. It is a daily, grinding reality. He notes that it is impossible to ignore the implications of rising costs on an everyday basis. We need bread, we need vegetables, and we need somewhere to live. When these basic necessities are out of reach or putting people into debt, the psychological toll is immediate and pervasive.

This economic pressure is not just a background stressor. It is a primary driver of distress. The anxiety of not being able to afford the basics overrides any other form of well-being. It creates a constant state of threat that the brain is not designed to handle for months or years on end. The mind is a collection of our emotional, psychological, and social capacity, and that capacity is being eroded by the cost of staying alive.

The Digital Noise

Just as pervasive as the economic pressure is the relentless barrage of social media. Collins points to the slew of mixed content that floods our feeds, often filled with violent and graphic imagery. This is not just entertainment. It is a significant toll on our well-being. The negative content stirs up immediate feelings of angst and keeps the nervous system in a state of high alert.

We are consuming the world’s worst moments in high definition, often multiple times a day. This creates a distorted reality where danger and distress are the norm. The mind struggles to process this constant stream of trauma. It is a form of environmental pollution that is as damaging to mental health as any biological factor. We are exposing ourselves to a digital environment that is actively working against our peace of mind.

Rethinking the Solution

If the problem is not just in the brain, then the solution cannot be just in the brain. Collins argues that we need to look at the physical environment, social relationships, and workplace conditions. Mental health is a capacity to deal with adversity, and that capacity is being overwhelmed by the adversity itself. We need to address the root causes: poverty, isolation, and digital overload.

This does not mean abandoning medical treatment. It means expanding our definition of health. We need to create environments that support well-being rather than undermining it. We need to make basic necessities affordable. We need to design digital spaces that are less harmful. We need to build communities that offer connection and support. The crisis is systemic, and the solution must be systemic. We have to stop looking for a pill for a problem that is mostly economic and social. The answer is in how we live, not just in what we take.