Big Pharma is Capitalizing on Your Mental Health
The world is currently suffering from a mental health crisis. In 2022, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that 1 in 8 people live with a mental disorder. Despite this alarming prevalence, national governments and global health institutions, like the WHO, are failing to provide adequate treatment and support – largely due to the underfunding of mental health research and care. As a result, mental health treatment has been left in the hands of pharmaceutical companies who continue to prioritize profit over patient well-being.
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The current mental health crisis plaguing individuals is not limited to any one nation in particular. Over 970 million people across the globe currently suffer from a mental disorder making it the leading cause of disability worldwide . Although strides have been made to address the magnitude of the ongoing crisis, little progress has been made in the last decade since the WHO launched their Mental Health Action Plan in 2013 – which demanded for appropriate funding and more effective national leadership and governance for mental health. The lack of global governance has left the door open to pharmaceutical companies to capitalize on individuals’ declining mental health. The pharmaceutical industry, often referred to as Big Pharma, is in a much stronger position than supranational organizations like the WHO to fight global health issues due to the industry’s unprecedented level of financing and massive cash flow.
Psychodynamic and holistic traditions of psychotherapy have significantly decreased over the years due to their high, and often unaffordable, costs. The high costs associated with mental health treatment and the lack of trained mental health professionals means that active mental health treatment, including therapy, is not a reasonable option for the vast majority of those who are struggling. Because of this, governments across the globe have opted for a biomedical approach that emphasizes the use of medication despite its proven ineffectiveness for most patients. Allowing pharmaceutical companies to step in and capitalize on the immense demand for mental health treatment.
In the United States specifically, pharmaceutical executives have the agency to determine the cost of drugs which are paid for by the public, either through their insurance or straight out of pocket. With little to no restrictions and the lack of competitors in the pharmaceutical industry, the price of a drug can be whatever a company desires. Essentially, monopolizing the industry to a select few multinational giants and preventing countries outside of the Global North from producing their own resources, leaving individuals with no other options but to purchase expensive medication from large multinational corporations that we all know and love.
To actively address the mental health crisis, we must shift the paradigm. Medication should not be the first and only form of treatment, especially when psychiatric medications have proven to only be modestly effective in cases of less severe illness. Global pharmaceutical companies and national governments must work together to create more inclusive solutions to global health crises, aligning their interests to create adequate policy plans. Governments globally must acknowledge the urgency of this ongoing crisis and commit to substantial funding increases, ensuring individuals have access to timely and effective treatment. The chronic underfunding of research and mental healthcare only exacerbates this crisis, while simultaneously increasing existing medical access disparities.
Governments and global health organizations must prioritize a holistic approach to mental health care that exceeds prescription medication. Mental illness in all its forms is complex, and one-size-fits-all solutions will not suffice. There must be a shift from pharmacological interventions towards patient-centred care, such as therapy and counselling. However, for this to be feasible, there must be adequate funding and a concerted effort to destigmatize mental health issues so that individuals feel comfortable seeking help without fear of judgment. Similarly, there must also be effort to address the root causes of mental health disorders.
It's time to wake up. It’s time for governments and global health institutions to place the well-being of individuals suffering from mental health illnesses at the forefront of their priorities. Our mental health should not be left in the hands of pharmaceutical executives whose only goal is to make money.
Big Pharma should not have the power to decide who is worth healing.
Allie (she/her) is a third-year Political Studies student and one of Political Digest’s Editors-in-Chief.
