Mental health disorders represent a significant part of the global burden of disease and translate into staggeringly large economic losses, particularly in low-income countries, where people face many unexpected shocks. We tested whether improved communication can mitigate such mental health disorders. Partnering with a major telecommunications company, we implemented low-cost communications interventions that provide mobile calling credits to a nationally representative set of low-income adults in Ghana during the COVID-19 pandemic. People’s inability to make unexpected calls, the need to borrow airtime from SOS, and to seek digital loans decreased significantly relative to a control group. As a result, the programs led to a significant decrease in mental distress (-9.8 percent) and the probability of severe mental distress by -2.3 percentage points (a quarter of the mean prevalence), with no impact in consumer spending. The effects are stronger for monthly mobile credits than for a lump sum. A simple cost-benefit analysis shows that providing communication credit to low-income adults is a cost-effective policy for improving mental health. Communication, the ability to stay connected, significantly improves mental well-being, and communication interventions are particularly valuable when implemented across so many deliverables.
