In recent times, several drivers of the SMI crisis stand out. The first is the way our world was transformed by neoliberal ideas that prioritised corporate interests, amplified inequality, marginalised trade unions, enshittified jobs and increased precarity. The second was the enforced isolation imposed on many vulnerable people by the Covid-19 lockdown, which caused a measurable global spike in mental health problems (especially anxiety and depression). And the third was technology – specifically, heavy social media use, which has been linked to increased anxiety and depression, particularly in adolescents and young adults.
