Charlotte Hill at Change.org's Poverty In America blog wrote yesterday about the mental-health challenges some anti-poverty activists might face, a career which apparently puts them at risk for "compassion fatigue." She starts:
Call me biased, but poverty's an especially difficult social ill to fight against. Unlike discrimination or direct violence, poverty isn't just deeply entrenched; it's actually viewed by many Americans as acceptable, even necessary.
This ennui strikes at the most inopportune moments, she writes: in the middle of a conference, when one is pushing a grant deadline. She then lists the things activists can do to fight this malaise, which sound a lot like the self-help advice we all get when we have job or life burnout -- get some sleep, read something positive. Maybe the prescription is to watch the feel-good favorite show, Oprah.
I don't want to minimize the problems that come with working for social justice -- which probably involve long hours and low pay -- but those problems are true for a lot of jobs. Frankly, I'd say living with poverty is a bigger stress. There's something about this post that feels a bit problematic, that the activists carry this special burden, "Oh, helping poor people is so tiring." It's all very noblesse oblige.
Meanwhile, a study from the University of Albert in 2006 showed that children who are born into low-income households may face behavioral problems that are not overcome. The link between poverty and mental health is so ingrained that researchers are still developing studies to determine which causes what, and the results are often mixed. Still, some studies suggest that poverty is more likely to precede mental illness than the reverse, and studies show that poverty affects children's brain development.
So, by all means, get more sleep, consult a mental health care professional if you need to, read something positive, and volunteer. But if your problems involve these solutions, they aren't really problems.
-- Monica Potts
