We always talk about the emotional and psychological impact of poor mental health. In some cases, we also talk about the physical impact (like with substance abuse). But have you ever considered how mental health impacts your finances?

Your socioeconomic status can definitely influence your mental health. Those who can afford treatment often are healthier than those who can’t. But the reverse is true too!

Here are some ways mental health and poverty feed into each other in destructive, harmful ways:

• Lost productivity. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), depression and anxiety disorders alone contribute to 12 billion lost working days and cost the global economy about $1 trillion per year in lost productivity. And that’s just depression and anxiety!

• High treatment costs. Like with physical illnesses, the longer you go without treatment, the worse your mental health tends to get. This translates to higher costs of treatment. Patients have to weigh treatment against necessities and small pleasures. Many will opt to forgo healthcare for the moment. This leads to expensive treatment when they finally decide to receive care.

• Coping costs. Those who aren’t given the tools to win with their mental health often turn to different ways to cope. Some of these coping methods are expensive, like drugs, alcohol, gambling, smoking, gaming, and more.

• Unemployment. Those whose mental health go untreated for too long can become unfit to work. They have to find different ways to supplement their income just to survive.

• Disability. Many people have to rely on disability income to survive. The severe limitations on this form of income can be unbearable and reduce quality of life.

• Imprisonment. Some studies show that some who can’t work regular jobs turn to crime as a last resort. Many who go to prison come out and find even less jobs than before are willing to hire them.