[MCN] Is there such a thing as excessive wealth disorder?

[Lance Olsen]

Google’s AI Overview
While "excessive wealth disorder" is not a formal psychiatric diagnosis, it is a term used to describe two separate but related phenomena: a societal and economic issue caused by the concentration of wealth, and a psychological condition in individuals experiencing sudden wealth. The societal disorder involves negative consequences like increased economic instability and political influence for the ultra-rich. The psychological condition, also called sudden wealth syndrome <https://www.google.com/search?q=sudden+wealth+syndrome&sca_esv=0b7c28f53f4526bc&ei=aIsPaZukGbny0PEPnqD4GA&ved=2ahUKEwi3yM2gl-OQAxXhITQIHdMaIN4QgK4QegQIARAB&uact=5&oq=is+there+such+a+thing+as+excessive+wealth+disorder%3F&gs_lp=Egxnd3Mtd2l6LXNlcnAiM2lzIHRoZXJlIHN1Y2ggYSB0aGluZyBhcyBleGNlc3NpdmUgd2VhbHRoIGRpc29yZGVyPzIFECEYoAEyBRAhGKABMgUQIRigATIFECEYoAEyBRAhGKABMgUQIRifBUiwvAFQ7SZYwI4BcAJ4AZABAJgBjwGgAYUKqgEEMC4xMbgBA8gBAPgBAZgCDaACwgrCAgoQABiwAxjWBBhHwgIIECEYoAEYwwTCAgoQIRigARjDBBgKmAMAiAYBkAYIkgcEMi4xMaAHo0WyBwQwLjExuAe4CsIHBjAuMTIuMcgHGw&sclient=gws-wiz-serp&mstk=AUtExfCdi8ytRLPRXzO-RAiDpVRzkdZa4yDgH5qHjQ5M0SGHypnazO0zfkO1DRtGvxdix9Y5s4GXk7Gt9F63pQH39Q9Iiwxa7coQ1b8S6Heg36fnFCZX-d27IlNGSwcdcgREWuJ9nqOcGSu_ytPP1j6tKI-dL61VHvqK4vYnvzjcj37bcggetVZpwEIjWEk8FdtPXuaE&csui=3>, refers to the stress, anxiety, and isolation wealthy individuals can experience. 
Societal and economic disorder
Concentration of power: The extreme concentration of wealth can lead to the concentration of power, allowing a small group to influence politics and policy in their favor.
Economic instability: This imbalance can create macroeconomic distortions, such as inflation in goods for lower-income individuals and a general lack of economic growth.
Unsustainable practices: The pursuit of more wealth can drive a need for unfettered growth and the unrestricted extraction of natural resources, which is a threat to the planet.
"Excessive Wealth Disorder" as a concept: This term is used by some scholars and organizations, like the Excessive Wealth Disorder Institute <https://www.excessivewealth.org/about-ewdi>, to highlight these societal and economic consequences, not to diagnose individuals. 
Psychological disorder: Sudden wealth syndrome 
Symptoms: This is a recognized concept that describes a psychological crisis in individuals who suddenly come into a large amount of money.
Emotional distress: Recipients may experience symptoms like paranoia, guilt, anxiety, depression, and an identity crisis.
Causes: The stress can be caused by the shock and the overwhelming changes that come with new wealth, and it is more likely to affect younger inheritors.
Related to hoarding: Some research suggests that excessive wealth in individuals may be a manifestation of hoarding disorder <https://www.google.com/search?q=hoarding+disorder&sca_esv=0b7c28f53f4526bc&ei=aIsPaZukGbny0PEPnqD4GA&ved=2ahUKEwi3yM2gl-OQAxXhITQIHdMaIN4QgK4QegQIBhAE&uact=5&oq=is+there+such+a+thing+as+excessive+wealth+disorder%3F&gs_lp=Egxnd3Mtd2l6LXNlcnAiM2lzIHRoZXJlIHN1Y2ggYSB0aGluZyBhcyBleGNlc3NpdmUgd2VhbHRoIGRpc29yZGVyPzIFECEYoAEyBRAhGKABMgUQIRigATIFECEYoAEyBRAhGKABMgUQIRifBUiwvAFQ7SZYwI4BcAJ4AZABAJgBjwGgAYUKqgEEMC4xMbgBA8gBAPgBAZgCDaACwgrCAgoQABiwAxjWBBhHwgIIECEYoAEYwwTCAgoQIRigARjDBBgKmAMAiAYBkAYIkgcEMi4xMaAHo0WyBwQwLjExuAe4CsIHBjAuMTIuMcgHGw&sclient=gws-wiz-serp&mstk=AUtExfCdi8ytRLPRXzO-RAiDpVRzkdZa4yDgH5qHjQ5M0SGHypnazO0zfkO1DRtGvxdix9Y5s4GXk7Gt9F63pQH39Q9Iiwxa7coQ1b8S6Heg36fnFCZX-d27IlNGSwcdcgREWuJ9nqOcGSu_ytPP1j6tKI-dL61VHvqK4vYnvzjcj37bcggetVZpwEIjWEk8FdtPXuaE&csui=3>, where the desire to acquire and hold wealth is reinforced by feelings of pleasure and security. 
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"We live in a moment of history where change is so speeded up that 
we begin to see the present only when it is already disappearing."

"We are not able even to  think adequately about the behavior that 
is at the annihilating edge."

R. D. Laing. Introduction, The Politics of Experience. 
1967, New York. Pantheon Books, a division of Random House

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“Consumer expectations of ever-higher living standards were fuelled by more lenient and readily available bank lending, 
…. Social status and identity became closely associated with consumption, in particular with the concept of luxury. 

"Identifying oneself with the good life meant being able to live beyond traditional understandings of basic needs. Debt was the price 
one paid for the joys of being part of a hedonistic consumer culture.”

Kenneth Dyson. The Morality of Debt. Foreign Affairs. May 3, 2015
https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/2015-05-03/morality-debt

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