How Mental Health Enforces Stigma and Social Exclusion - Essay Example

Mental Health, Stigma and Social Exclusion in 4 people in the UK will experience some kind of mental health problem in the of the year” Mental Health Foundation, 2011 Introduction: The World Health Organization (WHO) defines mental health as: “a state of well-being in which every individual realizes his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community.” In order to maintain a balanced lifestyle and positive relationships with ones’ families, it is absolutely necessary for individuals suffering from mental illnesses to have access to primary health care without any bias or prejudice. Mental health disorders are likely to cause a serious negative impact on the daily lives of the patients affecting their relationships, families and physical health adversely. People suffering from mental health illnesses must be treated equally and with respect in order to ensure and sustain the foundations of a fair and just society. Mental illnesses include a variety of forms such as schizophrenia, depression, anxiety disorders, as well as other personality disorders. Some mental health disorders generally occur during old age, such as Dementia, while other illnesses which are commonly found in the young people include eating disorders. Although no single cause for the occurrence of such disorders have yet been identified, the consequences of the same are disastrous for the people suffering from it as well as those around them, hence the society must ensure that such patients are provided due care and treated equally. Commonly occurring mental health problems: According to Gask (2009) mental health disorder is one of the most common reasons for seeking primary care in the UK. Studies conducted to study the issue of prevalence of mental health illnesses among individuals in the UK it was observed that GPs spend approximately 30% of their time in treating patients with mental disorders. Mental health problems are found across all sections of the society, regardless of age, gender, country or race. Some of the most common mental health problems prevalent in the UK are: mixed anxiety and depression. Figure: Common mental health problems in the UK Source: mind.org (2011) According to The Office for National Statistics Psychiatry Morbidity report (2001) approximately 9% of people in Britain suffer from mixed anxiety and depression. The report further states that about 8-12% of the population is diagnosed with depression each year, and approximately half of the people suffering from common mental health issues belong to poor economic backgrounds. Most of these people suffering from mental illnesses are highly likely to be unemployed, as compared to the general population (Singleton, Lewis, 2003). Figure: Proportion of people aged 16-64 meeting the criteria for at least one common mental disorder Factors that influence the development of mental health problems Various factors contribute to the development of mental health problems among individuals. These include a range of macro-social as well as macro-economic factors such as poverty, unemployment, urbanization and economic depression, homelessness, education, etc among others. Poverty: Poverty is by far one of the most critical factors causing the development of mental illnesses among individuals in the UK. Poor people are more likely to experience mental stress and psychological distress due to their adverse financial condition, thus leading to increased vulnerability to mental disorders. Also, the poor people are highly likely to suffer from unequal access to health care services due to lack of affordability, lack of access, and / or low responsiveness of health care providers to attend to their needs. Furthermore, it has been observed that the people suffering from mental illnesses suffer from discrimination at work, due to their mental health status. Thus, the poor people are more likely to be rendered homeless and suffer social exclusion (Rogaly, Fisher, Mayo, 2000; Pilgrim et al., 2010; Martin, Johnson, 2001). Urbanization: Various studies have linked the increase in rates of critical mental illnesses such as schizophrenia and urbanization in western societies. According to a study conducted by Paris & Dunham (1939) it was observed that the rates of occurrence of schizophrenia differed significantly on the basis of geographical locations. Significant differences were observed in the occurrence of serious mental illnesses in people living in cities as compared to elsewhere. Furthermore other studies have documented a strong relationship between social exclusion which is a key characteristic of certain neighbourhoods and schizophrenia (Murray, 2003). Furthermore it has also been observed that urbanization causes rise in environmental adversities, increased work pressures, shortened social lives, and hence leads to increased stress and other psychological and mental disorders. Unemployment: There is a direct relationship between unemployment and mental disorders. According to studies loss of jobs significantly increases the risk of mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety disorders among others. During the recent economic crisis a significant proportion of individuals were known to have lost their jobs, leading to increased incidences of stress, anxiety and depression among them. Insecurities with regard to jobs, pay cuts and economic concerns led to a sharp rise in worries with the result that a significant proportion of individuals who had lost their jobs during recession were reported to experience symptoms of common mental health conditions. According to studies, approximately 71% of the people who lost their jobs during recession were diagnosed with symptoms of depression, 55% of them reported stress while 52% of them complained of symptoms anxiety (The Guardian, 2010). Specific approaches to the prevention and minimisation of mental health conditions Various strategies and interventions have been developed over the years with a view to improve mental health of individuals and / or to minimize the problems caused by mental illnesses. These interventions can be categorized into two sections i.e. Macro interventions and micro interventions. Macro interventions include interventions at the macro level such as providing housing facilities to the vulnerable population, improving access to education, introducing policies to eliminate or minimize economic insecurities among individuals, strengthening community networks etc. Poor housing has been widely held responsible for increasing the vulnerabilities of individuals towards mental illnesses. Attempts to improve access to proper housing will play a key role in improving physical as well as mental health since perceptions of safety and reduction in social exclusion are directly related to good housing facilities available to individuals (Thomson et al., 2001). Lack of access to education is directly linked to poor mental health of individuals. Hence providing adequate access to education is likely to improve the mental health of people. According to a study conducted by Cohen (2002) it was observed that acquisition of literacy skills results in increase in an individuals potential to make informed choices, and bring about positive social changes. Community interventions play a key role in improving the mental health of individuals due to its sheer power to influence and bring about a positive sense of ownership and social responsibility, eliminates the fear of social exclusion, encourage social inclusion, and act as a platform to offer support and security to the needy (Hawkins, 2002). Early intervention: Studies have indicated that various positive social changes can be effectively introduced during the developmental stages of life with regard to mental, social and physical functioning of individuals (UNICEF, 2002). A healthy start in life significantly improves the odds of a child to lead a healthy and normal life. Negative life experiences such as poverty, homelessness, abuse, neglect, and/or exposure to drugs in the early stages of life, are likely to harm the mental health of such individuals leading to a serious harm to the neurobiological systems thus in turn significantly increasing the vulnerability to attract stress, hypertension, depression and other similar mental disorders. Establishing proper intervention programs during early stages of life can help in reducing and eliminating the occurrence of such disorders at an early stage (Schinke et al., 2002; Barlow & Stewart-Brown, 2000). The impact of mental health issues on families and how family relationships affect mental wellbeing Mental health problems are deemed to be highly personal in nature since the repercussions of such an illness includes a serious impairment in social, occupational as well as other key areas of functioning of an individual on account of various mental disorders. Mental illnesses often take a toll on the individuals family and personal life, including close relatives and friends, thus in the process disrupting their social circles. Although most of the common mental disorders are amenable to treatment, more often than not, such disorders go unnoticed or remain untreated on account of various factors such as poverty, lack of access to health care, ignorance, unemployment, etc. Various mental disorders are known to be chronic and recurrent in nature and require prolonged treatment and acute care, thus requiring high amount of time and personal involvement on the part of the family members. Studies have shown that certain mental disorders are known to significantly affect parental roles, impairment in decision making abilities, even leading to marital discord and disruption in parent-child interaction (Whisman, 1999; Kessler, Walters & Forthofer, 1998). References: Barlow J, Stewart-Brown S (2000). Behaviour problems and group-based parent education programmes. Journal of Developmental and Behavioural Paediatrics, 21(5): Pp. 356–370. Cohen A (2002). Our lives were covered in darkness. The work of the National Literary Mission in northern India. In: Cohen A, Kleinman A, Saraceno B, eds. World mental health casebook: social and mental health programmes in low income countries. New York, Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers: Pp. 153–190. Gask, L., (2010). Primary care mental health, RCPsych Publications, Pp.5-9 Hawkins D, Catalano R, Arthur M (2002). Promoting science-based prevention in communities. Addictive Behaviours, 27: Pp. 951–976. Kessler, R. C., Walters, E. E., & Forthofer, M. S. (1998). The social consequences of psychiatric disorders, III: Probability of marital stability. American Journal of Psychiatry, 155(8), Pp. 1092–1096. Martin, R., Johnson, L., (2001). Law and the public dimension of health, Routledge Publication, Pp. 333-336 Mendlowicz, M. V., & Stein, M. B. (2000). Quality of life in individuals with anxiety disorders. American Journal of Psychiatry, 157, Pp. 669–682. Paris & Dunham (1939) in Murray, R., (2003). The epidemiology of schizophrenia, Cambridge University Press, Pp. 49-50 Pilgrim, D., Pescosolido, B., Rogers, A., (2010). The SAGE Handbook of Mental Health and Illness, SAGE Publication, Pp. 492-494 Rogaly, B., Fisher, T., Mayo, E., (2000). Poverty, social exclusion and microfinance in Britain, Oxfam Publication, Pp. 16-18 Schinke S, Brounstein P, Gardner S (2002). Science based programmes and principles. Rockville, MD, US Department of Health and Human Services (No. SMA 03-3764). Singleton, N., Lewis, G., (2003). Better or worse: a longitudinal study of the mental health of adults living in private households in Great Britain Thomson H, Petticrew M, Morrison D (2001). Health effects of housing improvement: systematic review of intervention studies. British Medical Journal, 323: Pp. 187–190. UNICEF (2002). UNICEF annual report 2002. New York, United Nations Children’s Fund. Whisman, M. A. (1999). Marital dissatisfaction and psychiatric disorders: results from the National Comorbidity Survey. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 108, Pp. 701–706. World Health Organization. (2001). Mental health: new understanding, new hope. Geneva: WHO. Online Sources: Mental Health Foundation (2011). Mental Health Statistics [Online] Available at: http://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/help-information/mental-health-statistics/ [Accessed: December 1, 2011] The Guardian (2010). Recession causes surge in mental health problems: Study reveals sharp rise in people suffering stress, anxiety and depression due to redundancies and job insecurity Available at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2010/apr/01/recession-surge-mental-health-problems [Accessed: December 1, 2011] WHO (2011). Mental health: A state of well-being [Online] Available at: http://www.who.int/features/factfiles/mental_health/en/index.html [Accessed: December 1, 2011] Read More