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J.D. Tuccille: Mental illness is now a political identity

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There’s little doubt that the world around us has been getting nuttier in recent years and so have its inhabitants. Researchers say mental illness has been on the rise for decades, but the stress and isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic drove many more people — especially the young — around the bend. And now the surge in mental health issues is evolving in the U.S. into a political movement.

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In an April paper published in Political Behavior, Lauren Van De Hey, an assistant professor in Utah State University’s Department of Social Sciences, concluded that “mental health identity has begun to function as a political identity for some individuals, particularly in shaping support for increased state spending on healthcare, education and welfare.”

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The embrace of a greater role for the state makes sense, in context, since she adds that those with mental illness “are more likely to have a college degree; be a Democrat, liberal and White; and have slightly lower family income.” Overall, she finds that........

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