Today, we hear the term ‘mental health’ a lot. It “isn’t good for my mental health,” “mental health is so important,” or “I need a mental health day.”  However, people rarely talk about what constitutes ‘mental health.’ Is it the absence of ‘mental illness,’ ‘absence of stress?’ Is ‘mental health’ the same as happiness?  

Being poor, suffering from a mental illness or having a chronic physical condition is stressful and debilitating, and worse in combination. The reality is that these conditions interact in complex ways. This articles discusses how poverty and mental illness are related.