Recovery From Schizophrenia: Psychiatry And Political Economy

HEALTH, ILLNESS AND THE ECONOMY 43obstetric complications will increase. We will return to this issue in Chapter 9. Atthat point it will be argued that the risk of obstetric complications and infant braindamage—and thus the risk of later development of schizophrenia—increases indifferent classes at different phases during the advance of industrialization. Theresult is a curious changing pattern of occurrence of schizophrenia.WORK STRESS AND ALIENATIONOne source of interest in the debate over the harmful effects of the boom versusthe bust is the attempt to evaluate the relative importance of two potential healthhazards—the stresses of working and of unemployment. The direct linkbetween the working environment and ill health and death is evident in thestatistics on industrial accidents and disease. One estimate reveals that each year inBritain two thousand workers die from an injury sustained on the job, anotherthousand die from an industrial disease and a million take sick leave because of anindustrial illness. 73 Industrial injuries are a common cause of death in the US,especially among the less well educated. 74 Less commonly recognized, womenperforming housework have a high injury rate, thousands dying in Britain eachyear as a result of domestic accidents. 75 Not so straightforward to evaluate,however, is the importance of workplace stress in the production of mental andstress-related illness.We may find evidence of the hazards of work stress in the research on heartattacks. Psychological stress and significant life changes increase the risk ofmyocardial infarction and sudden cardiac death. 76 A 30-year follow-up study ofhealthy Canadian men found that sudden cardiac death was much more commonon the first working day of the week. Thirty-five per cent of such deaths inpreviously healthy men, and 75 per cent of the deaths at work, occurred on aMonday. The researchers point to “reintroductions to occupational stress, activityor pollutants after a weekend respite” as likely precipitants. 77 A study conductedin the United States similarly revealed a higher death rate from coronary heartdisease on Mondays than on other days of the week. 78Pointing to the same source of stress, one earlier study demonstrated thatoverwork increases the risk of heart attack in young men more than any of thestandard risk factors. 79 Several other pieces of research have shown overtime andincreased work load to be correlated with changes in serum cholesterol, cardiacarrhythmias and an elevated frequency of myocardial infarction. 80 American taxaccountants, for example, approaching the tax deadline of April 15, showed