Is high socioeconomic status a risk factor for mental illness? if so, why?

DYOH!!!

I don't think money has anything to do with your mental well being ... Exept if you're rich and nuts you're referred to as " eccentric " if you're broke and nuts you're just a basket case ... BASKET CASE !!! Alright alright alright :)

It's not a problem unless you make a habit of riding too many camels through too many needles' eyes. I'm with Gator Blu on this: Mental health problems are equal opportunity ailments. Any of us are likely to go down the gurgler given the right kind of a push.

Dear Anonymous that is a very intriguing question!

And I am going to say the answer is YES, high SES is indeed a risk factor for mental illness. However, a quick review online turns up lots of studies, and ALL of them find low SES correlates with mental illness. But two things:

1. First, the famous saying attributed to Sophocles (c. 496-406 BC);             "Look and you will find it - what is unsought will go undetected."                    So, everybody assumes poverty goes along with mental illness, and so that is where we look; doing expensive studies to "prove" it.                                      But if you are rich then as Jaimie points out, you are just eccentric.

2. In Old Europe, wealth was considered a sign of God's favor therefore whatever wealthy people do must be RIGHT. If you are rich, then whatever you do is just defined as "normal," maybe even admirable, or at least nothing worse than "affluenza."

However I think upper class people are at risk for mental illness, and here is why: If you are poor and unhappy, then you can always believe that you would be happy if you were wealthy. But what if you ARE rich and you are STILL unhappy? Money did not make you happy so what have you got then?

Well maybe that terrible hopeless experience of the face of wealth and you are still not happy, maybe that can drive people into mental illness.

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btw if this is homework pls be careful because this is all just speculation on my part...

I have found that "living" is the common thread of all those suffering from mental illness.

If you want to do a little more reading on the issue, check out Maslow's hierarchy of needs.

Socioeconomic status is frequently a factor that relates to the individual's satisfying the needs we human beings have.

http://www.edpsycinteractive.org/topics/conation/maslow.html