For most non-Bhutanese who are aware of the country,
Bhutan is associated with happiness. Bhutan’s Gross
National Happiness policy, which implies a critique of onesided economics-dominated development goals, has become
well known around the world. For example, the United
Nations recently adopted Resolution 65/309, initiated by
Bhutan, to include measures of happiness and well-being as
indicators of development (United Nations, 2011) and the
government in the UK has also expressed an interest in
“happiness economics” (Layard, 2006). However, even in Bhutan, there are people who, through no fault of their own,
or of their social system, are at a special risk for
unhappiness. These are the Bhutanese who suffer from
mental illnesses.
Topic:
Poverty, Mental Health, Well-Being, and Gross National Happiness (GNH)