Mental Health and Affluence

ZENAB MCHAOURAB – Sunday, March 7, the world watched Meghan Markle get interviewed by Oprah Winfrey about the infamous “Megxit”, when Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan Markle stepped down as senior royal members. Some expected that it was a publicity stunt that wouldn’t actually delve into many details of Markle’s time in the Royal Family, while others expected it to be a complete expose on the Royal Family. While the interview ended up being more of the latter, the issues that Markle brought up, racism and mental health in particular, extend well beyond the bounds of this royal scandal. 

Meghan Markle specifically touched on a time in her life where she felt completely hopeless and on the verge of committing suicide. While many watchers were extremely moved and sympathetic, others expressed their criticism online through places like twitter. Piers Morgan, former Good Morning Britain host, was one of the people spearheading this disbelief of Markle’s claims. Critics, like Morgan, cite the fact that she had ample resources to help her, despite Markle’s claim that the institution denied her help. I also heard many people around me questioning why we should care about a millionaire, who has easy access to all the help she could need, suffering from mental health issues.

This prompted me to think about the intersection of mental health and socioeconomic status. There is a common belief that if you are rich or well off, you don’t have the same mental health issues that people in poverty might have because you have the ability to get help. But just because you have the ability to get help doesn’t mean you are able to get yourself to reach out. Denying the severity of someone’s mental health just because they’re rich is the reason why people in those situations fail to reach out for help even if it’s available. 

This is important to consider because it means we still have a long way to go in reframing the way our society thinks about mental health. We must break the stigma that people in better socioeconomic situations than others cannot be plagued by mental health. It is important in not only helping people get the help they need, but also in normalizing and recognizing people’s mental health issues so that no one feels like they have to go it alone.

Copy Editor: Lauren Miller

Photography Source: Uzair Jan, https://azbigmedia.com/lifestyle/health-fitness/survey-reveals-how-loneliness-is-impacting-phoenix/