As we recognize World Mental Health Day on October 10th, it’s important to step back and examine the deeper, systemic causes of the global mental health crisis. From an Interpersonal Neurobiology (IPNB) perspective, mental health is not just an individual issue. It is a reflection of the broader social environment, including the impact of the domination hierarchy and inequality.
One of the key insights of IPNB is that our brains and nervous systems are shaped through relationships. Safe, attuned connections help us thrive, while chronic stress, social isolation, and oppressive systems contribute to mental health struggles. Mental health conditions are not a result of individual pathology but are created by the inhumane demands of societal structures and the environments in which we live.
The Domination Hierarchy and Mental Health
The domination hierarchy, the power structures prioritizing competition, control, and inequalit, creates environments where chronic stress becomes the norm. These hierarchies exist in politics, workplaces, and social systems–including medicine and psychiaatry–often reinforcing division and suffering. The mental health crisis we face globally is deeply tied to this system, where vast disparities in wealth, status, and power breed anxiety, depression, and trauma.
Renowned neuroscientist Robert Sapolsky’s work with baboons sheds light on how these hierarchies impact mental health. He found that baboons lower in the social hierarchy experienced significantly higher levels of stress and worse health outcomes compared to their more dominant counterparts. This phenomenon isn’t exclusive to baboons. It also applies to humans. The more unequal our societies, the more stress is distributed unevenly, leading to widespread mental health challenges for all but those at the top.
Inequality and Stress: The Hidden Mental Health Crisis
Sapolsky’s research highlights that chronic stress, driven by inequality, is the primary cause of mental health conditions. In unequal societies, those with lower socioeconomic status experience higher levels of stress due to insecurity, lack of resources, and feelings of powerlessness. This stress manifests in higher rates of anxiety, depression, PTSD, and other mental health disorders.
People constantly struggle to achieve the balance needed for mental and emotional well-being when they are constantly in survival mode. This is not about individual weakness—it’s about a system that creates and sustains stress and suffering.
Hierarchy Harms Us All
Interestingly, the domination hierarchy also harms those at the top, even though they benefit materially and socially from the system. Research shows that people in positions of power can experience heightened stress due to the constant need to maintain control, compete, and protect their status. This stress can manifest in chronic anxiety, paranoia, or burnout, as the pressures of leadership and isolation from genuine relationships take a toll on mental health. Leaders in hierarchical systems may feel disconnected from others, as their power can create barriers to authentic connection, which is essential for well-being. The domination hierarchy traps everyone—those at the bottom face constant oppression, while those at the top live in fear of losing their position, both suffering from the system’s toxic effects. True human thriving requires dismantling these hierarchies so that mental health can be supported at every level of society.
Building a World of Human Thriving
The key to addressing the global mental health crisis lies not in mass medicalization or in requiring individuals to “cope better” but in transforming the environments that shape the human experience. We must create systems that support widespread human thriving rather than perpetuating stress and inequality.
From an IPNB perspective, we know that safe, attuned relationships are essential for mental health. We can build communities and societies where people are supported in regulating their nervous systems, experiencing connection, and feeling secure. This means rethinking how we structure work, education, healthcare, and social safety nets. A society built on empathy, cooperation, and shared well-being would promote mental health for all by reducing the chronic stress caused by a domination hierarchy.
A Call to Action
On this World Mental Health Day, let’s acknowledge that the global mental health crisis is not just a problem of individual suffering but a symptom of larger systemic issues. By recognizing the role of inequality, stress, and the domination hierarchy in shaping mental health, we can begin to envision and create a world where widespread human thriving is possible.
Change begins when we address not just the symptoms, but the root causes—building societies that value connection, equality, and well-being for all. When we prioritize human thriving over domination, we pave the way for a future where mental health is not a luxury enjoyed by the few, but a right for every person.
This post includes content generated by ChatGPT, a language model developed by OpenAI. The AI-generated content has been reviewed and edited for accuracy and relevance.
