This is How Inflation Affected the Mental Health of Americans?

After coming out from the COVID-19 lockdown, the US has faced many crises with inflation reaching a 40-year high.

During the two closely-watched days of testimony to Congress, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell stressed Wednesday, June 22, that the Fed is concerned about the hardship caused by rising prices and promised to bring down inflation.

"The US economy is strong but faces an uncertain global environment and could see further inflation surprises," Powell said.

The resulting sanctions of the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine have also contributed to global unrest and high prices of crude oil.

President Biden said last week that Americans are “really, really down” after facing an ongoing series of crises.

 

‘They Are Really Down’

President Joe Biden said Americans “are down” after years of Coronavirus disruptions, adding in an interview with the Associated Press on Thursday that mental health struggles are on the rise.

“People are really, really down," Biden said during the 30-minute interview.

"The need for mental health in America, it has skyrocketed, because people have seen everything upset. Everything they've counted on, upset. But most of it's the consequence of what's happened, what happened as a consequence of the COVID crisis."

During his second term, the American president has struggled to improve his political standing amid the COVID-19 pandemic and with the rising prices of gas, food, and other goods.

Despite efforts to contain the pandemic, Coronavirus has continued to spread and disrupt Americans' everyday life.

Biden told the Associated Press that was a “bizarre” take stressing that the country could still be able to face this complete recession.

“First of all, it’s not inevitable,” he said. “Secondly, we’re in a stronger position than any nation in the world to overcome this inflation.”

“Be confident, because I am confident we’re better positioned than any country in the world to own the second quarter of the 21st century,” he said. “That’s not hyperbole, that’s a fact.”

 

A Gloomy Atmosphere

Americans are feeling increasingly desperate across different aspects of their daily life like the gloomy outlook on politics and the deteriorated economy of the state.

According to a public opinion poll, more than a third of Americans between the ages of 13 and 56 said the pandemic is the main source of stress and despair.

Their mental health issue has come into sharper focus after the recent deadly shooting at an elementary school in Texas, according to CNN.

Zouhair Attouf, the expert in international relations, told Al-Estiklal that “the mental health of the American people deteriorated due to the outbreak of the disease leading to the inflation crisis, which is the opposite of what Biden announced; in fact, 32.8 percent of US adults experienced elevated depressive symptoms in 2021, compared to 27.8 percent in the early months of the pandemic in 2020 and 8.5 percent before the pandemic.”

According to Attouf, this could be explained by the high rates of violent crime in the United States.

“Weapon control measures remained stagnant and armed violence was common; the police is taking a discriminatory approach to law enforcement, killing innocent people and fueling the nation’s anger. Law enforcement officers commit crimes with impunity, and judicial injustice faces widespread criticism and there are still unfair and unjust cases without effective reform and compensation,” he said.

“The American people live in fear of insecurity, as simple as that.”

The United States is the country with the largest number of privately owned arms in the world, according to the expert.

“Americans have lost faith in the government's management of social security and felt so insecure that many people bought weapons to protect themselves.”

 

Optimism vs Disappointment

The American President is looking optimistic and confident during his recent speeches; he told AFL-CIO union members in Philadelphia Tuesday, June 24,  that his government is “changing people’s lives.”

Critics ironically agreed, pointing to annual inflation that jumped to 8.6% during the last month.

“I don’t want to hear any more of these lies about reckless spending. We’re changing people’s lives!” Biden shouted at one point during his remarks.

Many of his opponents concurred because they believe that, under Biden’s power, Americans’ lives have changed, yes, but for the worse.

The American President’s optimism stemmed from the low unemployment rate and the strong economic recovery compared to other developed countries.

However, a minority of Americans have confidence in Biden's leadership, with Republicans in a strong position to gain control of Congress.

Joe Biden expressed his deep disappointment with the Supreme Court's ruling in the case of bearing arms against New York, saying that the ruling issued by the Supreme Court was not logical and it should be a source of great inconvenience to all Americans.

The US Supreme Court announced yesterday, June 23, the repeal of a law imposing restrictions on the carrying of arms in public places, even if they are hidden.