Rates of mental illness have increased dramatically over the past 15 years in the United States [Products—Data Briefs—Num-
ber 283—August 2017. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db283.
htm. Published August 15, 2017]. Additionally, life expectancy has fallen over the past several years due to increases in death
from suicide, opioid overdose, and alcoholic liver cirrhosis as reported by Case and Deaton [Deaths of despair and the future
of capitalism. Princeton University Press, 2020]. Over the last decade some have questioned whether these changes are due
to neoliberal capitalist policies and ideologies. Neoliberal capitalism incorporates theories of eliminating all restrictions on
the market and decreasing government assistance programs as reported by Harvey [A brief history of neoliberalism, Oxford
University Press, 2005]. Since then these policies have led to income inequality, disempowerment of workers, outsourcing
of manufacturing jobs, inadequate social services, mass incarceration and an expensive and inefective healthcare system as
reported by Case and Deaton [Deaths of despair and the future of capitalism. Princeton University Press, 2020] and Nkansah-
Amankra et al. [International Journal of Health Services 43(2):217-240, 2013]. Studies have shown that the consequences of
these policies and ideologies likely have a role in increasing rates of mental illness. This paper will discuss how these factors
increase mental distress and postulate ways that mental health professionals can advocate for change.
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