Sarah stares at her computer screen, her third coffee of the morning growing cold beside her keyboard. It’s 7 AM, and she’s already responding to urgent emails from her manager. Like millions of others, she’s caught in the hamster wheel of our modern economy – an economy that, according to a groundbreaking UN report, is literally burning us out.

When Success becomes Sickness

Remember when we were told that economic growth would make us all happier? That if we just worked hard enough, stayed competitive enough, and kept pushing for more productivity, we’d achieve the dream of prosperity and contentment? A recent United Nations report by Olivier De Schutter suggests we’ve been sold a destructive myth.

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The numbers are startling: globally, 301 million people suffer from anxiety, while 280 million battle depression. During the first year of COVID-19, these numbers shot up by 25%. But these aren’t just statistics – they’re our colleagues, friends, and family members caught in what experts now call the “burnout economy.”

The algorithm will see you now!

Today’s workplace bears little resemblance to the nine-to-five world of previous generations. Algorithms and frameworks determine our schedules, just-in-time production systems keep us perpetually on edge, and the promise of automation delivering more leisure time has transformed into 24/7 availability expectations.

The irony? Studies suggest that for many people, unemployment might be less damaging to mental health than working in these high-pressure, low-control environments. It’s a stunning indictment of our current system when joblessness becomes preferable to employment.

The wealth paradox

Here’s where things get interesting: you might think that richer countries would have happier citizens, but the reality is more complex. While increasing GDP does correlate with greater life satisfaction in developing nations, the same isn’t true for industrialized countries. In fact, in wealthy nations, it’s inequality – not absolute wealth – that seems to be poisoning our collective mental health.

This creates a peculiar situation where economic growth, our supposed salvation, might actually be making things worse by increasing societal disparities.

Among young people aged 15-29, suicide has become the fourth leading cause of death – a chilling testament to the psychological toll of our current system.

The trillion-dollar brain drain

When we talk about mental health costs, we’re not just discussing human suffering – though that should be enough to demand change. We’re also talking about an estimated trillion dollars in annual economic losses. That’s roughly the GDP of Indonesia or the Netherlands, vanishing each year due to mental health issues.

Yet most countries spend an average of just two dollars per person on mental health care, with low-income nations managing only 25 cents. Even more troubling, 67% of these limited resources go to psychiatric hospitals, leaving little for prevention or community-based care.

Breaking free from the Productivity Trap

Imagine telling a worker from the 1950s that in 2024, we’d have pocket-sized supercomputers, artificial intelligence, and automation technologies beyond their wildest dreams. They’d probably assume we’d all be working less and living more. Instead, we’re more stressed, more pressured, and more mentally exhausted than ever.

The solution, according to De Schutter’s report, requires more than just better mental health care or workplace wellness programs. We need a fundamental reimagining of our economic system – what he calls a “new eco-social contract.”

The path forward

Some countries are already experimenting with alternatives. Universal basic income trials have shown promising results for mental well-being.

Companies experimenting with four-day workweeks often report increased productivity alongside improved employee mental health. These aren’t just feel-good initiatives – they’re practical responses to a growing crisis.

The report suggests several key changes:

  • Moving beyond GDP as our primary measure of success
  • Creating truly universal social protection systems
  • Addressing wealth inequality through systemic changes
  • Prioritizing prevention and community-based mental health services
  • Reconsidering how we structure work and measure productivity

A personal and collective challenge

Back to Sarah, still at her desk but now contemplating change. Like many, she’s realizing that the problem isn’t her inability to “handle stress” or “manage time” better. The problem is a system that treats human beings as perpetual productivity machines.

The mental health crisis we’re facing isn’t just a medical issue – it’s the canary in the coal mine, warning us that our current economic model is unsustainable. When unemployment becomes preferable to working, when young people see no future worth living for, when anxiety and depression become normalized workplace companions, something has gone fundamentally wrong.

Time for change

The good news? We’re not doomed to continue down this path. Just as we created these systems, we can recreate them. The first step is recognizing that the burnout economy isn’t an inevitable result of progress – it’s a choice we’ve made and one we can unmake.

The question isn’t whether we can afford to change our economic system. Given the mounting human and financial costs, the real question is: can we afford not to? Our mental health – and our future – depends on how we answer this question.

Remember Sarah? She’s part of a growing movement of people and organizations questioning the status quo. Whether through workplace activism, supporting mental health initiatives, or simply refusing to accept burnout as the price of success, each of us has a role to play in creating an economy that serves human well-being rather than sacrificing it on the altar of GDP growth.

The time has come to write a new economic story – one where success is measured not just in dollars and cents, but in the mental health and well-being of all people. The only question is: are we ready to begin?