Sociological Theories in Mental Health - Term Paper Example

Sociological Theories in Mental health Introduction: Sociological Theories may be relevant in the study of mental health, because the structure of society as well as the inequities of race and class may play a role in causing depression and an escape into mental disorders as a coping mechanism to deal with the disorder in the social environment. The inequities that may be generated by race and class, and the lack of an effective support structure for individuals in society could additionally be causal factors leading to stress and mental disorders. Therefore, sociological theories could be very useful in the study of health in general and especially in the area of mental health. Body: Mental health has been an area of concern and interest to sociologists, because sociology attempts to describe, infer and explain the relationships between and among individuals and institutions. (Busfield, 2000). The status of an individual’s mental health has been shown to be related to a wide ranging set of factors that include gender race, age and class. Apart from these causal factors for mental health which may exist within the framework of society, mental health sociologists may also investigate the etiology, the correlates and the consequences of psychiatric disorders and symptoms, as well as individual psychological and subjective well being and stress and coping mechanisms that exist for individuals to cope with mental problems. Sociological theories therefore speculate about the multiple etiological factors that are inherent in the framework of society and could produce conditions which are conducive to the development of mental disorders.(Busfield 2000; Wheaton 2001). For example, sociological theories have also been linked to suicide caused due to mental health problems. In explaining the causes for suicide, Durkheim has applied sociological theory and stated that it is only social factors that can explain suicide, which is caused by anomie or the combination of a felling of social disconnection and the loss of the control exerted by society over the individual’s impulsive behavior.(Frish and Frish). When there is a denial of economic or other opportunity to a particular class of people, it could instigate this kind of effect. For example, the liberal feminist theory of equal opportunity posits that denial of opportunities for women are factors leading to depression and anomie among women. Moreover, since women may often be the targets of sexual abuse or other forms of discrimination, this could lead to the feelings of social exclusion and disconnection as described by Durkheim, wherein women who feel that they are not receiving help from society are liable to withdraw into such depressive states which may lead to mental disorders and in extreme cases, also to suicide. Dunham (1959) explores the relevance of the social framework in explaining mental health and demonstrates the relevance of sociological theory in illuminating the causal factors that lead to mental disorders among individuals in society. He poses three specific questions as follows (a) does the incidence of mental health disorders vary to a significant extent based upon social class or over periods of time? (b) is there any relationship that exists between the pre morbid personality and the kind of mental diseases that develop in individuals? (c) Is the incidence of mental health related to the differential causative effects that are generated in a particular society depending upon its social organization?(Dunham, 1959). In his study Dunham examines both the ecological role as well as the role of personality and society as contributing factors leading to mental diseases and he concludes that while sociology may explain the incidence of mental diseases to some extent, this is a very difficult field and in order to derive a true analysis it may be necessary to associate research in biology and genetics with sociology (Dunham, 1959). However, other studies have suggested that factors in the social environment may play a role in inducing mental disorders. For example, Landrum-Brown (1990) has written about how racial oppression and stratification is a causal factor for mental health disorders among blacks and points out how certain neighborhoods in the United States are decaying. The Marxist theory of class links inequities in socio economic conditions to the onset of social chaos and disorganization and this theory is relevant in analyzing the inequities that arise due to differences in socio economic class in the segregation and decay of certain poorer neighborhoods. In linking sociological theories to the onset of mental health problems, social stratification may therefore play a role in contributing to mental disorders by creating adverse conditions in society or at-risk factors such as unemployment, poverty, joblessness or perceived discrimination, all of which are linked to social stratification along the lines of race and could be causative factors in depression, leading to poor mental health. Racial stratification in society could therefore produce mental health problems to the extent that it generates the kinds of stressful circumstances and cognitive states which predispose an individual to emotional distress. Therefore sociological theory could play a vital role in explaining mental health problems and in the discovery of effective solutions to deal with it. Latkin and Curry (2003) have pointed out the results of comprehensive qualitative and quantitative research studies that have shown the prevalence of mental health disorders among neighborhoods characterized by poor socio economic status, which are replete with a higher level of stressors in the environment. Sociological theory offers the view that in such neighborhoods where there are signs and symbols of external physical decay as well as crime, there are restricted resources and opportunities, as a result of which there are also high levels of social disorganization and a lack of effective social mechanisms in place to control such criminal behavior. As a result, these environments become highly stressful and lead to conditions of depression, fear and chaos which could contribute to an onset of mental disorders. The results of these studies that have been reported by Latkin and Curry (2003) supports the theories of social disorganization as a contributing factor to social stress and mental disorders, suggesting the need for structural intervention in these cases. Conclusions: On the basis of the above, it may be concluded that an examination of sociological theories could greatly contribute to the understanding of mental health disorders – not only in terms of what the causal factors are but also in terms of how best they can be addressed. The existing social structures in society, as well as the divisions of class that exist within it may lead to a division of society along the lines of race or economic status and may cause social disorganization, whereby certain sections of society become marginalized and more susceptible to develop mental health problems. The tendency of some individuals to develop anomie and the feeling of social disconnection may be a coping mechanism in order top deal with the low levels of support existing in that particular society. It appears likely that as compared to men, women would be more likely to experience such symptoms because of the lower levels of support available to them. Similarly, the stratification of neighborhoods on the basis of race or socio economic status results in a certain class or section of people being relegated into high crime, poorly maintained neighborhoods which generate stressors that lead to depression and fear. The development of mental health problems may often be a means of escape for individuals in such cases. While some researchers such as Dunham suggest that sociological theories alone cannot form the basis to understand the complex area of mental health, nevertheless, in view of the larger number of studies that have supported the relation between social disorganization and social class with mental disorders, it may certainly be concluded that sociology theories offer considerable insight in the area of mental health. They serve to illuminate not only the etiology of mental health disorders itself, but also offer the potential to examine how social structures can play a role in mental health and how they need to be restructured in order to ensure that health problems are properly understood and ameliorated. References: * Busfield, Joan. 2000. "Introduction: Rethinking the Sociology of Mental Health." Sociology of Health and Illness, 22(5):543-58. * Dunham, Warren H, 1959. “Sociological Theory and mental Disorder.” Wayne State University Press * Frisch, Lawrence E and Frisch, Noreen Cavan, 2001. “Psychiatric Mental health Nursing: Understanding the client as well as…” Thomson learning. * Landrum-Brown, Jocelyn. 1990. "Black Mental Health and Racial Oppression." Pp. 113-32 in Handbook of Mental Health and Mental Disorder among Black Americans, edited by Dorothy Ruiz and James Comer. New York: Greenwood Press. * Latkin, Carl A and Curry, Aaron D, 2003. “Stressful neighborhoods and depression: A prospective study of the impact of neighborhood disorder.” Journal of Health and Social behavior, 44(1): 34-45 * Wheaton, Blair. 2001. "The Role of Sociology in the Study of Mental Health. . .and the Role of Mental Health in the Study of Sociology." Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 42:221-34. Read More