A Longer Queue to Psychiatrists: A Perspective on the Impact of the Economic Crisis on Mental Health in Sri Lanka

The mentally healthy contribute to the productivity and economic growth of a country. Mental health is an invisible capital: a mental capital which is vital for resilience in the face of adversity. Sri Lanka’s economic crisis has been precipitating both de novo mental health disorders and relapses of established mental health disorders. It also affected mental health wellbeing. The group behavior showed not only an inevitable radicalization but also the strength of people united by common difficulties. Joint political and economic solutions only can mitigate the mental health adverse effects of an economic crisis. The current regime could incorporate insights shared in the article for better governance.