A theorem on the order of levels in confining potentials

We prove that in a two-body, non-relativistic system interacting via a potential V = ?g²/r + V_c(r), where V_c is a confining potential non-singular at the origin, the 2S level is above the 2P level if V_c satisfies the following sufficient condition: This covers the well-known cases of linear potentials or harmonic oscillator potentials, which were considered in charmonium models, but also more generally, for instance, V_c(r) = r^α, α >0.