Poverty Blindness: Exploring the Diagnosis and Treatment of an Epidemic Condition

Despite the historical and social significance of poverty, scholars from varied ideological and philosophical disciplines have often observed that its most notable feature is its invisibility. We suggest that poverty is not excluded from view, but rather from consciousness. This lack of consciousness is due to a subjective “poverty blindness” on the part of those who fail to take the poor into account. In this article we explore this new concept of “Poverty Blindness” (PB) using a clinical approach. We review the clinical manifestations of PB and the associated condition of Poverty Acuity Disorder (PAD). We conclude by suggesting that the ability to see these circumstances and consequences of poverty is not some ambiguous externalized concept, but lies within our own consciousnesses and consciences. Only through recognizing this are we able to assess honestly the realities of poverty or debate how to go about its alleviation.