What two dimensions do the concept of mental disorder consist of
1)it entals the experience of the disorder itself(specific symptoms)
2) social dimension
- >human beings attribute meaning to their symptoms
- >these meanings arise from their interactions with other people
What does research on mental illness include
- it includes prevalence, patterns of mental disorders, costs of inadequately treated mental illness, stigmatization and medicalization
- note contemporary sociologial research on mental illness tend to lean towards the more subjective end of the continuum
What is the definition of a mental disorder
- it is by definition a psychological, biological or behavioral dysfunction that interferes with daily life
- > a;terations in thinking, mood or behavior associated with significant distress and impaired functioning
Can mental disorders affect you indirectly
-yes, through a family friend, co-worker, etc experiencing it
Do mental illness affect different populations differently
- yes immigrants and Northern residents have less incidences of anxiety and mood disorders
- the LGBTQ community has more individuals who have anxiety and mood disorders
What is the single greatest predictor of a mental illness occuring
- the greatest predictor of a mental illness occuring is socioeconomic status
- > people of lower status have higher rates of most types of mental illness
- > especially mood and anxiety disorders
Describe the social causation hypothesis
- suggests that more life stresses and fewer resources characterize the lives of the lower class
- > contributing to the emergence of mental illness
-more supportive with mood and anxiety disorders
Can retreatism as described by Merton apply to mental illness
-yes it can
What is the social selection hypothesis
- people with mental disorders can fall into lower economic strata because of difficulties in daily functioning
- more supportive for individuals with schizophrenia, conduct disorders and ADHD
Can changes in the local, regional, national or global economic patterns lead to economic difficulties
-yes
Is mental illness most common in young adults
- yes
- > most adults who have been diagnosed with a mental illness state that their symptoms began during childhood
- eg; the closer individuals are to high school graduation, the larger the proprotion who reported symptoms of psychological distress
- eg; the more time adolescents spend on social media, the more likely they are to experiences symptoms of anxiety and depression
What does Lalonde argue about youth suiciides regarding Indigenous communities
- argues that Indigenous communities which experience high rates of youth suicide are those that are the least “culturally health”
- > this is where cultural continuity has been the most disrupted
Describe some of the impacts of mental illnesses
- higher rates of teen pregnancies and a greater risk of marital instability
- mental illness is also associated with lower levels of educational attainment, lower employment rates and lower incomes
- > they must also bear direct or indirect financial costs
Why might treatment not be provided to those with mental illnesses
1) lack of services
2) perceptions of treatment as inadequate
3) discomfort with the self-disclosure that accompanies treatment
4) Perceptions of neglect or stigmatization within their own families or communities
How does media portray those with mental illnesses
-both fictional and non-fictional media frame people with mental disorders as unpredictable, violent, dangeorus and criminal
How does self-stigma in an individual result
- even if they not personally experienced instances of direct stigmatization or discrimination
- > awareness of negative attitudes towards mental illness in society can lower self-esteem and increase feelings of demoralization
-note more stigma associated with the mental illness, the less likely that individual is to seek help for their problems
How are mental illnesses medicalized
- psychiatrists determine which thoughts or behaviors constitute a mental illness
- they incorporate this into the DSM
- they explain that these particular thoughts and behaviors are deviant because they cause significant distress and impairments in daily functioning
- psychiatrists then provide measures of social control to improve quality of life and level of functioning for the individuals
Where were those with mental illnesses put to in the eighteenth century
- they were put into “madhouses”
- >so that others in society would feel safe
What happened to those with mental illnesses in the nineteenth century
- madhouses were replaced by asylums
- > as doctors reported with appropriate treatment, people with mental illnesses could be trained to conform to soceity’s norms
-these asylums later became known as mental hospitals or psychiatric instutions
What is the definition of deinstitutionalization in reference to mental disorders
- it is the social control of people with mental illnesses in community-based programs rather than institutions
- note deinstitutionalization is more effective in the long term and is considerably less expensive
What are the range of treatment options today for those with mental disorders
- [psychotherapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy, medication, occupational therapy and social supports
- the combination of medical support and psycho social support is particularly effective for event the most severe mental illnesses
What are the drawbacks of deinstutionalization
- many individuals do not have a network of family relationships
- the experience of any type of serious illness contributes to the dissolution of many marriages
- therefore, those who have close support networks may do very well with community based
- > but those lacking family networks may not
- > therefore, the reduction in hospital-based service was accompanied by insufficient increases in community-based resources
Describe the AT home project
- it basically houses individuals with mental illnesses first
- > and then provides them a viable treatment plan
Are people with mental disorders more likely to commit violent crimes
- no
- > people with mental illnesses are more likely to be the victims of the crimes rather than the perpetrators
- > nevertheless, they are over represented in the criminal justice system
