Affluenza: Do free markets and liberty create more mental illness?

In this morning's Times, Tim Worstall takes issue with Oliver James's new book Affluenza. If you want to read James himself - he set out his main point in a short Guardian article yesterday, justifying the link he makes between mental illness and capitalism (although annoyingly calling the former affluenza and the latter Blatcherism).

The money quote from James is this:

Follow the logic? Selfish capitalism infects populations with affluenza; it fosters mental illness; English-speaking nations are more selfish capitalist - ergo, more prone to illness.

Earlier in the piece, he appears to be suggesting that the privatisation of public utilities causes mental illness. I am not a professional psychologist but I must say I find this, ahem, a surprising assertion.

I am ready to believe, however, that economic and political freedom is associated with a greater number of incidents of medical illness.

Can I recommend Tim Lott's fabulous book The Scent of Dried Roses? A moving and funny account of the author's own experiences with mental health problems, the book also provides a convincing account of the cause of nervous breakdowns.

Lott suggests that we tell each other stories about who we are and have trouble coping when reality makes those stories impossible to maintain. This is why bankruptcy, divorce and other traumatic incidents can lead to suicidal breakdown.

If this theory is correct it might explain the Danish experience, which James makes a good deal of. The BMJ article I linked to the other day (here) contained a different explanation to James's (he asserts that their happiness is a function of their welfare state). The doctors suggested that the Danes had low expectations and were constantly surprised when they were exceeded. In other words, the story they tell themselves about who they are was rarely challenged by bad news.

Yet if Lott's idea is right then there are likely to be more breakdowns in fluid, dynamic free societies. Greed and money aren't really the point - more the difficulty of maintaining your identity in a rapidly changing environment. And Lott subscribes to this view himself. It's a constant theme of his writing.   

James, I think, expects us simply to accept that we should move towards a form of social organisation that reduces mental illness. But if such illness is a regrettable by-product of freedom then things aren't nearly as simple as he suggests.

Altogether, given that he is qualified, respected and widely quoted, I thought his Guardian contribution unbelievably superficial.

Comments

[Candadai Tirumalai]

Until about the mid-1980s there was only one bus company in the English town I lived in. When Mrs. Thatcher ("You can't buck the market") introduced deregulation, a second competing company sprang up. Punctuality and service definitely improved: no more inexplicable 20-minute waits. At the same time, some of the drivers couldn't take the stress and retired early, and rival drivers sometimes exchanged words and looks: one man put his hands around a woman-driver's throat for "cutting in". When I was last there two years ago, equanimity seemed to prevail between the two companies.

[Chris Gillibrand]

As the only known alternative to capitalism is state-run socialism, I know which I would prefer guarantee my long-term happiness.

Seems some people are still crazy enough to believe hat we would have all been happier if we had gone Communist. The pictures proved it at the time!

http://www.library.georgetown.edu/advancement/newsletter/79/images/happydays79.gif

[alan grocock]

Mental illness is a part of all humans and lies dormant or unseen amongst the majority. Literally anything will bring it out and is not the same within each person. i.e all can be infected by temptation. A truly sane person would not find themself in such danger and would know the true meaning to life which is not within the knowledge of the human race i.e "mankind is a brick short of a load". It is the reason for war, crime and unhappiness of all kinds and why governments never truly work, for mankind cannot truly save himself.

[Simon P Harrison]

As a rule of thumb,the more the state interferes in your life the more mental illness occurs.The old USSR had many mental health facilities.

[CLS]

Here is an alternative theory. Capitalism causes mental illness. The mentally ill are called socialists. Under socialism no one is mentally ill as no one there thinks socialism works.

[Daggo]

Oliver James' thesis is so over the top it seems unhinged but he knows how hit the trendy leftie G-spot.
A big piece in the Guardian and extended interview on BBC R4's Today - and that's just for starters.
Nick Cohen's important new book has been met by silence from these quarters of course.

[Peter Briffa]

In my experience virtually all contributions to the Guardian are very believably superficial.