Evaluate the Claim that Mental Illnesses Are Socially Constructed - Essay Example

? Evaluate the Claim that Mental Illnesses are Socially Constructed, Highlighting the Role Played by the Medical Profession and/or Large Multi-national Pharmaceutical Companies Introduction Mental illnesses refer to medical conditions that disrupt an individual’s thinking, behave, feelings, mood, daily functioning, and interact with others. Mental illnesses affect the ability of individuals to cope with the usual demands of life. Mental health problems are widespread and encompass mental ill health that can be experienced momentarily owing to the stresses of life. Mental illnesses are of diverse types and degrees of severity. Some of the key mental illnesses include eating disorders, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and borderline personality disorder. Mental illnesses can result to onset of social problems where the subjects become violent and irrational. The arena of mental illnesses is rich with myths, misunderstandings, and negative stereotypes. This yields stigma, discrimination, and isolation of people, who are mentally ill. There are three distinct explanations of mental illnesses. The first includes the medical model whereby mental illnesses are perceived as a disease with physiological causes. The second is deviance approach whereby mental illnesses emanate from the manner in which people with mental illnesses are treated. The third is the social approach that holds that mental illness is not necessarily a disease, but a way of labelling people as being in need of “treatment” and isolation. The precise causes of mental illnesses are unknown, although, deep research in the area has brought scientists closer to the answers. Just like physical illnesses, mental illnesses are biological in nature. Similarly, elements such as poverty and stress have a strong impact on development of mental illnesses. Mental illness and physical illnesses have interconnection as physical illnesses have a powerful, emotional component. Mental illnesses are framed differently in different cultures; some view it as a form of possession while others view it as an illness. The distinction between mental and physical illnesses cannot be demarcated purely in terms of the causes of the condition. Whereas there are no clear-cut causes of mental illnesses, it is obvious that a lot of non-psychological factors play a crucial role. For instance, there is a strong correlation between a person’s genetic make-up, and chances of development of mood or psychotic disorders. Conversely, psychological factors such as stress have a strong relation to enhanced predisposition to physical illnesses (O’Connor 2002, p.4). There are two key sociological approaches to the study of mental illnesses; the positivist approach and interactionist approach. Positivist Approach The positivist or functionalist approach to mental illnesses matches with the medical definitions of mental illnesses objectively or as a disease. The approach explores the distribution of mental illnesses among diverse groups within the society and seeks to ascertain its causes. This approach examines the mental illnesses in terms of the social organization and the position of individuals within the social structure (Aneshensel & Phelan 1999, p.4). Social judgments on deviance arise from societal gender stereotypes. In society, women are stereotyped as being weak and passive; thus, when deviant or aggressive, it is most likely to be interpreted as irrational and in need of psychiatry treatment. Men’s deviance, on the other hand, is most probably to be seen as intentional and dangerous, and hence, their behaviours are inclined to be labelled as criminal rather than mentally ill (Walker 2006, p.71). Interactionists perceive stereotyping as the cause of the increased rates of mental illnesses among stereotyped groups such as women, young people, or racially discriminated groups. The stereotyped groups are likely to be labelled as dangerous by the police and the courts, and will most probably be referred to psychiatric assessments. The interactionist approach to mental illness views mental illnesses as not necessarily a disease or medical condition, but rather a social construct; a tag bestowed on some individuals by others (psychiatrists) who possess the authority to do so. Interactionists concentrate on the labelling process that leads to definition of a person as mentally ill best exhibited by Rosenham’s pseudo patient experiment, in which researchers gained admissions into a mental hospital by pretending to be mentally ill. The staff interpreted their behaviours as symptoms of mental illness, regardless of the fact that the said behaviours were false. The social construction of deviant behaviour has a significant role in the labelling process that is prominent in the society. The labelling process incorporates the labelling of criminally deviant behaviour; behaviour considered to be contradictory to the set socially constructed norms. Labelling is also reflected in stereotyped behaviour of individuals with mental illnesses whereby the mentally ill portrayal as unpredictable, risky, and inept. The prevailing perceptions of mental illnesses manifest social construction of mental illnesses whereby mental disorders arise from societal influence. Societal perceives certain actions or behaviour as deviant so as to come in terms with, or understand the behaviours. This leads to the institution of labels of mental illnesses on individuals who exhibit them. As a result, the society places certain expectations on mentally ill persons, overtime; the individuals unconsciously alter their behaviour so as to fulfil the expectations. The society’s perception of mentally ill persons as “crazy” has undoubtedly accentuated and prolonged the aspects termed as “mental illness.” Labels are stigmatizing and significantly affect mental recovery (Walker 2006, p.73). People’s identities become altered soon after admission in mental institutions. On admission, individuals’ face deconstruction of old identity and they adopt a fresh identity of inmate (Kohen 2000, p.39). Similarly, labelling a person as paranoid shapes a vicious circle in which other people start to avoid the person labelled as paranoid; the isolation that the person suffers amplifies the paranoia. One of the proponents of the approach, Szasz, argues that mental illness is not in essence an illness, but a label attached to individuals whose behaviour contradicts the mainstream behaviour. According to him, psychiatry is in essence a form of social control (Mukherjea 2010, p.246). Interactionists view social status and power as being principal to the labelling process. Role of Medical profession and Pharmaceutical Companies There is a close relation between pharmaceutical companies and the medical profession. Pharmaceutical industries produce new drugs and promote their usage to make money, while the medical profession prescribes the drugs to their patients. Role of Medical Profession Mental health professionals include health care practitioners such as psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, clinical social workers, and mental health counsellors. The medical profession deal with mental illnesses, disorders, conditions, and issues, each demarcated at scope of practice. Medical profession is engaged in improving the mental health of individuals. The medical profession plays a critical role in treatment of mental illnesses via application of medication and psychosocial treatments such as cognitive behaviour therapy, interpersonal therapy, peer support groups, and community services. Most mental illnesses can be effectively treated. Medical profession is heavily engaged in forging a full mental and physical health evaluation and individualized treatment plans. These encompass psychotherapy, medication, and other modalities. Psychological treatment of mental illness is directed at minimizing distress associated with symptoms as well as symptoms themselves. Some of the psychological therapies utilized in mental illness treatment include interpersonal psychotherapy and cognitive behaviour therapy. Treatments by utilization of medication include antidepressant medications, antipsychotic medications, and mood stabilizing medications (Bowers 1998, p.185). Role of Large Multi-national Pharmaceutical Company in Mental Illnesses The pharmaceutical industry is engaged in developing, producing, and marketing drugs licensed for utilization as medications. Pharmaceutical companies are engaged in research and development of drugs meant for mentally ill. Pharmaceutical companies are heavily involved discovery and experimentation of drugs to treat mental disorders. The ultimate aim of pharmaceutical companies is to enhance health care by producing drugs meant for curing and preventing mental illnesses, as well as amassing economic benefits. Conclusion Mental health is socially constructed and defined as exhibited by the stigma attached. The definition, diagnosis, and treatment of mental illnesses centre on social control and normative enforcement (O’Connor 2002, p.5). The social structure, power dynamics, and culture play a fundamental role in establishing the context of categories of thought. Different societies, cultures, groups, and professionals have diverse ways of conceptualizing the character and causes of mental disorders. The diverse approaches have different ways of determining who is mentally healthy as well as structuring of appropriate interventions. References List Aneshensel, C. & Phelan, J. (1999). Handbook of the sociology of mental health, New York, Plenum. pp.3-20. Bowers, L. (1998). The social nature of mental illness, London, Routledge. pp.185-190. Kohen, D. (2000). Women and mental health, London, Routledge. pp.39-50. Mukherjea, A. (2010). Understanding emerging epidemics: Social and political approaches, Bingley, Emerald. Pp.246-250. O’Connor, L. (2002). Creating mental illness, The Human Nature Review 2 (1), pp.4-6. Walker, M.T. (2006). The social construction of mental illnesses and its implications for the recovery model, International Journal of Psychosocial Rehabilitation 10(1), pp.71-87. Read More