Can Basic Income Function as a Mental Health Policy?

Author: Andrew Santilli

Field of Study: Philosophy, Politics and Law

Program Affiliation: Source Project Research Program

Faculty Mentors: Will Glovinsky

Easel: 22

Timeslot: Afternoon

Abstract: Mental health is often treated as an individual medical issue addressed through therapy, medication, and clinical care. However, research is increasingly demonstrating how psychological well-being is strongly molded by economic conditions, particularly poverty and financial insecurity. If financial stress contributes to anxiety and depression, this raises an important question: could economic policy itself function as mental health policy? Several studies help display this relationship. Research on the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians’ casino dividend found that increased household income was associated with long-term reductions in psychiatric disorders among youth. Other studies on poverty and mental cognition show that financial scarcity can create chronic stress and reduce the mental capacity needed for proper planning and decision-making. Together, this evidence suggests that a universal basic income may function not only as an anti-poverty policy, but also as a preventative intervention that addresses the social determinants of mental health.