Social class can significantly impact mental health and access to treatment. Those in lower social classes have higher rates of mental illness due to a lack of resources and greater exposure to stressors. They are less likely to receive treatment due to inadequate healthcare access and affordability issues. Untreated mental illness can have serious consequences like disability, homelessness, substance abuse, and even suicide. Improving access to care through community outreach and social support is needed to help those in lower social classes manage mental health issues.
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Does Social Class Affect Your Mental Health.pptx 1
Social class can significantly impact mental health and access to treatment. Those in lower social classes have higher rates of mental illness due to a lack of resources and greater exposure to stressors. They are less likely to receive treatment due to inadequate healthcare access and affordability issues. Untreated mental illness can have serious consequences like disability, homelessness, substance abuse, and even suicide. Improving access to care through community outreach and social support is needed to help those in lower social classes manage mental health issues.
Social class can significantly impact mental health and access to treatment. Those in lower social classes have higher rates of mental illness due to a lack of resources and greater exposure to stressors. They are less likely to receive treatment due to inadequate healthcare access and affordability issues. Untreated mental illness can have serious consequences like disability, homelessness, substance abuse, and even suicide. Improving access to care through community outreach and social support is needed to help those in lower social classes manage mental health issues.
HEALTH? Kara Hay, RDMS Junior Bachelor degree in Diagnostic Medical Sonography Objectives:
Define social class
What are some of the social factors that are involved
Who does it affect (mental illness)
What are the different types of mental illness
How does mental illness affect society
Social class is a powerful structure in everyones life. Social class is a group of people who have similar amount of wealth, status and power in everyday society. German social theorist, Max Weber, has created a hierarchical pyramid that includes five classes that include from the top, 1. upper class, 2. upper-middle class,, 3. lower-middle class, 4. working class and 5. the lower class. Social class includes level of education, occupation, wealth and status
Status indicates a persons level of social identity within society, how much the person is esteemed by other people in society
Wealth is objective plane of a persons social rank depending on how much money and material possessions they possess
Education is the amount of knowledge that one possesses and uses to their benefit to further themselves in society
Occupation is the persons job, their employment status and work conditions
The most important factor of health in social class is education
With more education, people have more knowledge about health and their choices to live a healthy lifestyle including diet, exercise, no smoking, and going to see the doctor for preventative care and medical treatment when necessary
SOCIAL FACTORS:
A social factor is what makes up a persons individuality and life style.
Some examples are race, religion, gender, socioeconomic status, education and where you live (environment).
These factors can influence your social class and your health lifestyle.
This affects everyone in all age categories.
Mental illness is a medical condition that can disrupt a persons thinking, feeling, their mood, how they relate to other people and even daily functioning.
Mental illness can affect anyone at anytime.
Serious mental illnesses includes major depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorder, anxiety disorder, post traumatic stress disorder and borderline personality disorders.
These mental illnesses are treatable with an individual plan that can include prescription medications and therapy. Some of the different therapies include cognitive behavioral therapy, interpersonal therapy, peer support groups and community programs and services.
Mental illness is widespread in the United States and affects approximately one in four American adults every year (approximately 57.7 million Americans). About one in 17 lives with a serious mental illness and about one in 10 children live with a serious mental or emotional disorder.
Mental illness facts and numbers:
About 2.4 million Americans live with schizophrenia.
About 5.7 million Americans are affected with bipolar disorder.
About 14.8 million Americans ae affected with major depression and this is the leading cause of disability in the United States and Canada between the ages of 15- 44 years old.
About an estimated 40 million adults are affected with anxiety disorders, including panic disorder, OCD disorder, PTSD disorder, and generalized anxiety disorders and phobias. Anxiety disorders can co-exist with depression or other addiction disorders.
About 5.2 million adults have co-existing mental health and addiction disorders.
Mental illness can strike individuals in the prime of their lives- in adolescence and young adulthood. All ages are included, but the young and old are very vulnerable. Those who have a lower social class or socioeconomic status include homeless persons, women, minorities and those with low education.
Approximately 26 percent of homeless adults that live in shelters live with a serious mental illness and approximately 46 percent live with a severe mental illness.
Those in lower social class including racial and ethnic minorities are less likely to have access to mental health services and often do not get the help the need.
Fewer than one-third and one-half of children with mental illness receive the health service they need.
This is linked with poverty and people can not afford the treatment or the prescription medications they need in order to manage their illness.
Out of those with claim they have had a serious psychological distress, only about 38 percent had gone in to get treatment for their illness.
There is an association between lower social class and mental health. Those who are in the lower class have a higher rate of psychological distress because of the lack of resources to health care, living in a poor environment or dangerous neighborhood, lack of education and lack of employment or monetary supply. They cannot afford the medication that a doctor might prescribe or get any therapy or follow-up care for their illness.
These people also might not have access to a good support system or to a community service program.
Minorities and women are exposed to a higher level of these stressors. They are less likely to have access to mental health services and often receive poor quality of health care.
Women are often single mothers taking care of their families, sometimes without any help from outside sources.
Those who are incarcerated have a history of mental illness and health disorders and that includes those adolescents in the juvenile system as well.
Mental Health Treatment in America and the impact on America
About 60 percent of adults with a mental illness did not receive any mental health services and that includes about one-half of youth aged from 8 to 15 years of age in the past year.
African Americans and Hispanic Americans only used mental health services at about one-half the rate of whites and about one-third of Asian Americans in the past year.
In the United States serious mental illness costs approx $193.2 billion in lost earnings per year.
Those who are affected with serious mental illness face an increased risk of having other chronic medical conditions.
Adults that have serious mental illness die on the average 25 years earlier than other Americans.
More than 90 percent of those who commit suicide have a treatable mental disorder.
Suicide is the eleventh leading cause of death and the third leading cause of death for those who are between the ages of 10-24 years in the United States.
Male veterans are twice as likely to die by suicide compared to the rest of the population in the United States.
Veterans represent approximately 20 percent of suicides nationally.
There is a stigma that is associated with mental illness. They sometimes cause people to think that mental illness is not a real or treatable health illness. This can cause those who have mental illness to not get the help they need.
The consequence of mental illness can be financially staggering. Not getting treatment can cause unnecessary disability, unemployment, substance abuse, incarceration and suicide. This is such a loss of our resources and a loss of precious life.
Treatment and identification of mental illness is very important to minimalize the loss of revenue and loss of life.
Social class does affect mental illness and getting the appropriate treatment is essential to manage this disease. Community outreach programs and support groups are needed to get the word out to those who are in need for help. Even with the Affordable Healthcare Act of 2012 that helps those who do not have access to insurance, is not enough to get those who are in the lower social class and lower socioeconomic status to get help, although it is helpful. Having social workers and nurses follow up with those in need, or having a clinic that is conveniently located could be a help to those who cannot get out to get treatment.
References:
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2. Gottfredson, L.S. (2004). Intelligence: is it the epidemiologists elusive fundamental cause of social class inequalities in health?. Journal of personality and social psychology, 86 (1). 174
3. Aneshensel, C. S., Rutter, C. M., & Lachenbruch, P. A. (1991). Social structure, stress, and mental health: Competing conceptual and analytic models. American Sociological Review, 166-178.
4. Hollingshead, A. B., & Redlich, F. C. (1958). Social class and mental illness: Community study.
5. Artazcoz, L., Benach, J., Borrell, C., & Cortes, I. (2004). Unemployment and mental health: understanding the interactions among gender, family roles, and social class. American Journal of public health, 94(1), 82-88.
6. Cockerhman, William C. 2012 Medical Sociology, 12 th edition Boston:Prentice Hall