Ties that bind: Liberals, conservatives and mental health

It’s not much of an exaggeration to say that there are some…umm, slight…differences between liberals and conservatives in America today. I continue to believe – perhaps naively – that the things which unite us are bigger than the things that divide us.

One of those things, without a doubt, is mental health.

First, speaking in generalities: Liberals tend to want government to do more, conservatives tend to want governments to do less. This is a very broad statement and there is a lot of room for nuance within it, but I think that’s pretty accurate. Looking at that from a mental health perspective, that tends to translate into liberals wanting government to do more (even if it means raising tax rates), conservatives want them to do less.

I have a theory: That’s not completely accurate, because conservative areas need as much help as liberal areas when it comes to this.

Let me approach this from a different perspective: Urban vs. rural. Again, broadly speaking, but urban areas tend to be more liberal, rural ones more conservative. But – and this is important – rural areas really, really struggle when it comes to mental health. Suicide rates are higher in rural areas than urban areas. This is for any reasons, including an increased prevalence of firearms and a lack of access to health care practitioners.

At the same time, urban areas – which have high levels of poverty and minorities – also really struggle in these areas. Urban areas with high levels of poverty have significantly higher rates of mental illness. Unfortunately, poverty makes mental illness worse, and the mentally ill are more likely to be pushed into poverty and lose access to health insurance and care – thus creating a viscous cycle.

Here’s my theory: These can be united. While I represent an urban area, I don’t want anyone to suffer or struggle, no matter what they look like or where they live, and I am sure that the vast majority of conservatives feel the same. We all care about the people we represent, and I’m hoping that, over the next couple of years, I can find more people to work with in order to bridge the gap between liberals and conservatives/urban and rural areas. I’m hoping that we can use mental health to do that, and in so doing, help all of the people we represent.