SOC212 - 12. Mental Illness Flashcards
Mental Illness in Canada
80% deal with it (friends, family)
1% - bipolar/schizo
5% - Anxiety
8% - MDP
Mental Illness in Canada
70% - detected in childhood (early onset)
20% of Canadians will personally experience a mental
illness
Mental Illness in Canada
Mental illness affects people of all
levels, and cultures, ages, educational and income
10-20 % of Canadian youth are affected by a mental illness
Only 1 mental health services receives out of 5 children who need them
Costs
51 Billion cost
4% of all admissions - 1.5 Mill Hospital Days
Stigma
Stigma: shamed or disgrace attached to something
can stop ppl from getting treatment
society values thinking
Stigma
can’t control how they act or think
held accountable for being ill - unlike cancer
Stigma
systems of care are distinct
view mental illness as violent, unpredictable, crazy
negative stereotypes from media perpetuating fear and prejudice
Psychiatric Approaches
The Psychiatric Diagnostic Manual:
The American Psychiatric Association (2013) developed the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual
of Mental Disorder (5th Ed)
DSM Changes
Psychiatric Approaches
took out homosexuality and neurosis, but added eating disorders, PTSD
categorizing system - how disorders relate to each other
not provide understanding of person’s mind
Psychiatric Approaches
Psychiatry traditionally classifies mental disorders according to two types functional, or nonorganic, disorders.
Psychiatric Approaches
Organic Mental Disorders: physiological source
Functional Mental Disorders: compulsive behaviour, neurosis
Psychiatric Approach
manic-depressive: bipolar
Minor Disorders — from organic causes and those derived
Psychiatric Approach
Paranoid Behaviour: extreme suspicion
Depressive Behaviour
Schizophrenia: delusion, social withdrawal
Psychiatric Approach
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Normative Definition
Redlich (1957) advocated another method for making the clinical classification of behavior – “normal” or “abnormal”.
• Problems
• The motivation of the behavior
Normative Definition
- situation in which the behavior occurs: context is important
- Who decides?: experts or general public
Normative Definition
•Residual Norms
Social Reactions
norm violations - not covered by behavioural expectations
Social Stratification and Mental Illness
• variation in diagnosed mental disorders by social class, gender, age, race and ethnicity, and marital status.
• Class: severe disorders concentrated in lower classes
eating disorders more concentrated in upper
• Gender: depressive disorders - female
Social Stratification and Mental Illness
• Age: 18-29 - schizophrenia
• Race/Ethnicity: African american - more active disorders
eating disorders more common in caucasians
• Martial Status
Social Stratification and Mental Illness
LGBT - higher rates of depression, body disorders
marriage - protective risk factor
less stress levels
Social Stratification and Mental Illness
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Social Stress & Mental Illness
Social stress may exhibit similar links to mental illness + also seems directly related to behaviors frequently defined as elements of mental disorders - linked to certain life events - changes
common
Social Stress & Mental Illness
Certain types of mental illness seem associated with specific proportions of stressful life events.
OCD: relieves stress when engaging in compulsions
Stress in Modern Life
Stress & Anxiety
Social Stress & Mental Illness
stress builds over long periods of time
can be insulated by coping strategies
financial means can be helpful in coping
Social Stress & Mental Illness
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Stress & Coping Strategies
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Stress & Coping Strategies
Stress does not inevitably produce mental illness.
Coping strategies are important for intervening between life events + mental disorders.
Stress & Coping Strategies
individual needs coping skills + capabilities in order to deal with social and environmental demands
Successful coping depends on both physical + social resource
Stress & Coping Strategies
capacity and coping strategies in dealing with stress
SES situation
adaptation takes motivation and reaction
Stress & Coping Strategies
23% self report mental illness
canadians in lowest income bracket 3-4x more likely to report low well-being
Stress & Coping Strategies
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Stress & Coping Strategies
Inability to Shift Roles: Many people who develop mental
illness appear to lose ability to shift easily or at all from one social role to another
shift in roles => shift in expectations
Stress & Coping Strategies
Performing the Mentally Ill Role: actions and conditions that
characterize mental illness (like withdrawal, depression,
compulsions, obsessions, and hallucinations) violate common norms
Social Roles & Mental Illness
breaking rules
labelling them can help them perform mental roles
encourage them and make it easier for them to get help
Social Roles & Mental Illness
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Social Roles & Mental Illness
Self-Reactions and Social Roles:
People experience a self-reaction to their appearance, status, and conduct.
Distorted self-conceptions.
Social Roles & Mental Illness
Culture influences the nature of self-reactions
Mental illness may fall along a continuum of behavior, influenced by personal resources, symptoms + social expectations (Gove and Hughes, 1989)
Social Roles & Mental Illness
difficulties in relationships + anxiety
self identity: affected by culture
Eating Disorders
term eating disorders encompasses a variety of behaviors associated with patterns of consuming food.
anorexia: purposeful starving
bulimia: purging + binging pattern
Eating Disorders
orthorexia: fixation with healthy eating
more about anxiety, self-loathing, lack of control
can lead to heart conditions
Psychological explanations
Eating Disorders
Cultural values increase the likelihood for eating disorders. Social standards of female beauty that dominate
conversations, media images + clothing fashions
Eating Disorders
Culture: normative standards for beauty
many times unrealistic, and racialized
Ads: photoshop
Eating Disorders
1998 - interviews with ppl in Fiji
1995 - brought in tv
after 3 years of watching tv, girls started getting eating disorders
Social Control of Mental Illness
Mental Hospitals:
Perform two main functions:
Treatment enables mentally disordered people to return to
normal society + protection for both patients and society.
Social Control of Mental Illness
lost popularity: abuse + neglect
didn’t know what to do with them
drugs can help ppl function
Social Control of Mental Illness
The Deinstitutionalization Movement: movement intended to offer outpatients, including those who have previously experienced hospitalization + those who have not, a variety of services through local clinics.
Social Control of Mental Illness
treated at home
substantial decrease in hospitals that focus on mental illness
Social Control of Mental Illness
Problems:
30-70% of homeless - they fall through the cracks
still neglected even if outside mental institutions
Reducing Stigma
• public stigmatizes those with mental illness as unpredictable and potentially dangerous.
Reducing Stigma
• Several mentally ill people may experience discrimination + choose to avoid treatment for their disorders in attempt to reduce the stigma.
difficulty getting employment
Reducing Stigma
• Public education + fundraising: many groups such as Bell that work to decrease Stigma
tertiary deviance* - group trying to change label or meaning associated with it
Problems
Stigma & Blame:
neoliberalism: state is less responsible for individuals
look after own retirement, security + health
Problems
we are not taught on how to deal with emotional problems + life changes
• Structural Issues: lack of access to quality mental health care
Problems
Big Pharma: important we think critically
industry element => money involved
lots of money in selling pills
Problems
Homelessness: more likely to be homeless at some point
less social support/safety net - less contact with family + friends
Problems
Access to Quality Care: hard to get into hospitals that focus on mental health
need good insurance
Problems
framing: seen as for white ppl
coloured ppl difficulty getting support when they want to get help
Stigma & Mental Illness
Health care environment not immune to Stigma
judgement before getting to know them
assume they are seeking attention - even when they are seeking help for a different illness
dismissiveness
Stigma & Mental Illness
youth labelled by teachers, peers
bullied and made fun of
ppl don’t know how to deal with ppl with mental illness
Stigma & Mental Illness
system labels them and ignores the causes
treated like a problem, not a person with a problem
Stigma & Mental Illness
death never defined in terms of mental illness, but how they died
can’t see the mental illness unlike broken bones so they don’t know what to do
Stigma & Mental Illness
be more receptive
don’t be close minded, be patient
early interventions - don’t get treatment until a crisis
more education and understanding
