The hit HBO show Succession may be a fictional drama, but many of the issues it explores are firmly rooted in fact. Paracelsus Recovery, which has centres in London and Zurich, offering therapy, counselling and medical help to wealthy clients, has said that almost 40% of its clients are struggling with ‘Succession syndrome’. This term refers to a range of addiction problems and mental health conditions that affect the children of extremely affluent households.
The ‘affluent neglect’ explored in Succession is something that the staff at Paracelsus Recovery regularly see in a real-life setting, where their clients have been impacted by parents who are emotionally and physically absent.
The Effect of Affluent Neglect
Affluent neglect can be difficult to spot, given that it is often emotional. The child, for example, could present as well-dressed, clean and properly fed, and wealthy families are typically not on the radar of protective services.
In affluent families, it may be the case that children are left in the paid care of au pairs or nannies as their parents work long hours, creating an emotional disconnect that leaves the child feeling lonely and with their emotional needs unfulfilled. Furthermore, wealthy parents may exert a lot of pressure on their offspring to succeed at school, which can lead to emotional and psychological problems.
The Masking of Capacity Issues
Succession planning experts such as Edgar Paltzer also point to another potential problem faced by affluent families that was raised in the television series Succession: it may be difficult to spot capacity issues within these families. This is due to the fact that the relevant individuals are typically powerful, intelligent people with significant levels of support around them.
What Does Succession Syndrome Look Like?
Succession syndrome tends to be characterised by depression, anxiety, narcissistic personality disorder and sometimes other conditions such as bipolar, and substance and alcohol abuse. Paracelsus Recovery claims that wealth makes an individual around 27% more likely to abuse alcohol than their non-affluent counterparts and significantly more likely to exhibit narcissistic traits. Again, this is a case of life imitating art; in the show Succession Roman is unable to emotionally connect with others and Shiv disregards other people’s feelings, while Kendall swings between grandiosity and vulnerable narcissism.
The founder and CEO of Paracelsus Recovery, Jan Gerber, has spoken of how individuals affected by Succession syndrome make up a small segment of the population but can go on to wield positions of authority and power, sometimes employing thousands of people. Therefore, their mental wellbeing is in everyone’s interest.
For more information about affluent neglect, take a look at the embedded PDF.
