Psych final draft
2
Rough Draft: How Limited Resources Affect Mental Health
Michelle Lynn
Walden University
HUMN 6912-1
Instructor Millimen
August 1, 2025
How Limited Resources Affect Mental Health
Mental health is the emotional, psychological, and social well-being of an individual and determines how an individual thinks, feels, and acts. It plays a crucial role in stress management, relationships, and decision-making. Nevertheless, in low-resource conditions where safe housing, food, healthcare, education, and community are lacking, mental health can be compromised. These shortcomings lead to stress, neglect and isolation, which impacts emotional stability. Mental health is severely impacted when basic needs are unmet, creating a cycle of emotional and psychological strain. Impact of Housing Instability on Mental Health
Lack of stable housing triggers ongoing insecurity, anxiety, and fear. Homelessness and housing instability cause chronic stress owing to safety risks and routine disruptions. This instability leads to conditions such as insomnia, depression, and loss of control. Research links housing instability to mental health issues including PTSD, drug abuse, and depression (Barry et al., 2024). Trauma recovery is extremely hard without a secure, private location, and symptoms intensify with time. Lack of Access to Healthcare
Limited access to mental health services prevents early diagnosis and treatment of conditions. Patients without insurance or poor income are more likely to postpone or avoid treatment, worsening their diseases (Modi et al., 2022). Furthermore, rural and underprivileged communities generally lack mental health specialists, making treatments unavailable to many (Conroy et al., 2020). This discrepancy contributes to increasing hospitalizations, untreated illnesses, and suicide risk, emphasizing the need for fair healthcare access.
Food Insecurity and Mental Health
Food insecurity affects mood, energy, and cognition. Inconsistent nutrition causes irritation, anxiety, and emotional instability. Food scarcity worries raise stress and sadness (Mayo Clinic, 2023). Food-insecure children often struggle with emotional development, which puts them at risk for mental health concerns.
Educational and Economic Inequities
Limited access to quality education often results in restricted job opportunities and chronic poverty, reinforcing cycles of stress and emotional instability. Without education, people may not know how to get mental health help (Adely et al., 2021). Lack of understanding and financial instability marginalize vulnerable groups. Social Isolation and Lack of Community Support
Isolation from supportive relationships fosters loneliness and emotional detachment. Mental illness stigma inhibits help-seeking in low-resource settings. Many impoverished communities lack mental health outreach or culturally suitable services (Kaihlanen et al., 2022), worsening isolation's emotional impact. Conclusion
The failure to meet basic human needs significantly compromises mental health. Resource imbalance must be addressed to improve housing, healthcare, education, and community support to alleviate emotional distress and enhance resilience.
References
Adely, F. I. J., Mitra, A., Mohamed, M., & Shaham, A. (2021). Poor education, unemployment, and the promise of skills: The hegemony of the "skills mismatch" discourse. International Journal of Educational Development, 82, 102381. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedudev.2021.102381
Conroy, J., Lin, L., & Ghaness, A. (2020, July 1). Why People Are Not Getting the Care They Need. Apa.org; American Psychological Association. https://www.apa.org/monitor/2020/07/datapoint-care
Kaihlanen, A.-M., Virtanen, L., Buchert, U., Safarov, N., Valkonen, P., Hietapakka, L., Hörhammer, I., Kujala, S., Kouvonen, A., & Heponiemi, T. (2022). Towards digital health equity - a qualitative study of the challenges experienced by vulnerable groups in using digital health services in the COVID-19 era. BMC Health Services Research, 22(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-022-07584-4
Mayo Clinic. (2023, February 20). Overcoming mental health care barriers. Mayo Clinic Health System. https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown-health/speaking-of-health/overcoming-mental-health-care-barriers
Modi, H., Orgera, K., & Grover, A. (2022, October 10). Exploring barriers to mental health care in the U.S. AAMC Research and Action Institute. https://www.aamcresearchinstitute.org/our-work/issue-brief/exploring-barriers-mental-health-care-us
Barry, R., Anderson, J., Tran, L., Bahji, A., Dimitropoulos, G., Ghosh, S. M., Kirkham, J., Messier, G., Patten, S. B., Rittenbach, K., & Seitz, D. (2024). Prevalence of Mental Health Disorders Among Individuals Experiencing Homelessness: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. JAMA Psychiatry, 81(7). https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2024.0426