Week 12 : readings Flashcards
concept of mental illness consists of 2 dimensions
- entails the experience of the mental disorder (symptoms)
- mental illnesshas a social dimension
Who develops mental illness?
- anyone
- LGBTQ+, immigrants/refugees, ethnocultural minorities, members of racialized groups & ppl employed in certain occupations more likely
- greatets predictor is socioeconomic status
Social causation hypothesis…
- suggests that more life stresses & fewer resources characterize lives of lower class & contribute to mental illness
- more common mood & anxiety disorders
- retreatism in mertons strain theory
Social selection hypothesis…
- says reverse
- ppl with mental disorders fall into lower socioeconomic status cuz of difficulty in daily functioning
- schizophrenia, conduct disorders and ADD
Age is a predictor of mental illness
- common in young adults than others
- biological, psychological & social factors play a role in ths (identitiy formation, social media, graduation)
- some youth at greater risk than others
different social groups and types of mental illness differ
- women = mood & anxiety disorders
- men = antisocial & contuct disorders
- refugees = PTSD
Mental health & pandemic
- rapid change = anomie & strain
- 300% increase in depression, anxiety, etc.
- social groups most at risk… youth, seniors, health care workers
- despite the mental health burden caused by the pandemic, the event may lead to significant strides in destigmatizing mental illness
Costs of mental illness
- teen pregnancy, perinatal complications, academic performance, lower employment rates, unhealthy lifestyle behaviours
- insufficiently treated mental disorders have a considerable impact on society
- but 80% of ppl do not have access to high-quality, affordable treatments
Stigmatization of mental illness
- media… framed with negative stereotypes, stigmatized (messy hair, dirty clothes, etc.)
- public attitudes… negative, dehumanizing, ppl with mental disorder perceved as making excuses
- personal level… stigmatization = poor quality of life in ppl with mental illnesses, self-stigma
medical disorders medicalized
- psychiatrists determine what constitutes mental illness & incorperate into DSM
- explain that these particular thoughts/behaviours are deviant cuz signfiicant distress & daily functioning impaired
- then, they provide measures of social control
The deviance dance
- disease paradigm… emphasizes ameliorating symptoms that distress & impair individuals’ functioning
- discrimination paradigm… emphasizes role that stigmatization plays in the daily experiences of ppl with mental illnesses
- these programs & policies from ^ constitute part of deviance dance cuz ppl are resisting & fighting back against inadequate treatment & discirmination
Resisting stigmatization
- ppl with mental illness may use many different stigma management techniques to deal w/ spoiled identities
- some may try to pass by hiding thier disorders
- some may divide their social worlds, carefully managing who is and is not permitted to know about their illness
others more actively resist stereotypes about mental illness…
1) deflecting
- block stigmatizing external force
- individuals distance themselves from the label of ‘mentally ill’
- can identify themselves as someone with a mental disorder, not someone who is mentally ill
- others may resist label all together saying just tired/overworked
- tend to have higher levels of well-being, although that positive effect wanes to come extent with more serious mental illnesses
others more actively resist stereotypes about mental illness…
2) challenging
- actively fight back against the external stigmatizing force
- direct confrontation of ppl or educating ppl
- can also take a more personal form where individuals overcompensate for stigmatization
- challenging have a better quality of life, fewer symptoms, higher levels of self-esteem & stronger sense of empowerment
Several factors associated with active resistance…
- past experience with stigma resistance
- past familiarity with mental illness
- greater coping resources
- holding & identifying with multipe roles in dailty love
- less severe, more time-limited mental illness
Other levels of stigma resistance
- government… many nations have instituted legislationg & policie sprhibiting discirmination against ppl with mental disorders in housing, employment, health care, etc.
- health care community… tries to reduce negative attitudes against mental illness
- self-help or advocacy groups for ppl with mental illness
- programs developed for specific target audiences are most effective
Resisting inadqeuate & insufficient care
- health care community engaged in research all the time on new & improved treatments
- monitoring the professional behaviours of its members and negatively sanctions those who do not provide apropriate care to patients
- targeted services for specific social groups
Mental Health Commission of Canada key priorities are…
- suicide prevention
- co-occurence of mental health challenges & substance use
- population-based initiatives
- engagement with Canadians
Reisting medicalization
critisizing DSM
- inclusion of particular disorders (homosexuality, ADHD, gender dysphoria)
- DSM has power
- it has methodological shortcomings & has role of power in determiningwhat is and is not included in the list of mental disorders
- influence of pharmaceutical industry
critizising mental health professionals…
being sane in insane places
- Rosenhan & colleagues admitted into hospitals for schizophrenia
- average 19 days
- left with diagnosis of schizophernia in remission
- concluded that professionals have difficulties distinguishing sane from insane
social factors in diagnosis & treatment
- race & ethnicity
- more misdiagnosis of clients from marginalized ppl groups exp if the doctor is not a member of their group