“Rich People’s Illness” and “Poor People’s Illness”

There are other aspects of the health gap between the rich and the poor. Low incomes can cause high levels of anxiety - especially among pensioners over 65. Kondo told Josei Seven that older people with low incomes are very likely to suffer from insomnia. (Insomniacs were common even among high-income seniors: 49% of them suffered from some degree of insomnia, compared with 60% of low-income seniors.)

Depression is also associated with poverty, but the rich are not immune to it. Clinical depression is severe - it is a factor in 60% of suicides. Then there are cancers, heart diseases and strokes. Older people with lower incomes are five times more likely to suffer from depression than those with higher incomes.

If we turn to the young and the affluent, which of them are most likely to suffer from depression? Koji Wada, a professor at the International University of Medical Welfare, said it was those middle managers. They are the most stressed people in Japan and in the world, Finland and Denmark are second only to Japan, Wada said. Many of them are just nominal managers, saddled with impossible quotas and not paid for overtime. Wada said that women managers, even those with high incomes, have an increased risk of breast cancer.

Middle-income earners can at least enjoy the benefits of the company’s regular medical examinations. On the whole, they can afford a balanced diet, but whether their jobs leave them leisure time is another question. Josei Seven found that their biggest health challenge was being inactive. Rich people can work out in sports clubs. A blue-collar job is to exercise. Middle-income office workers, on the other hand, sit at their desks for hours staring at computer monitors. In terms of health, everyone knows what will happen.