Mental Health: A Personal, As Well As Socially Constructed, Phenomenon

1990 ◽  
Vol 35 (12) ◽  
pp. 1166-1167
Author(s):  
Diane M. Reddy
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Socially Constructed

scholarly journals Natural kinds of mental disorder

Synthese ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sander Werkhoven
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Disorders ◽  
Mental Disorder ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Natural Kinds ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Abnormal Behaviour ◽  
Diagnostic Categories ◽  
Socially Constructed

AbstractAre mental disorders (autism, ADHD, schizophrenia) natural kinds or socially constructed categories? What is at stake if either of these views prove to be true? This paper offers a qualified defence for the view that there may be natural kinds of mental disorder, but also that the implications of this claim are generally overestimated. Especially concerns about over-inclusiveness of diagnostic categories and medicalisation of abnormal behaviour are not addressed by the debate. To arrive at these conclusions the paper opens with a discussion of kind formation in science, followed by an analysis of natural kinds. Seven principled and empirically informed objections to the possibility of natural kinds of mental disorder are considered and rejected. The paper ends with a reflection on diagnostics of mental health problems that don’t fall into natural kinds. Despite the defence of the possibility of natural kinds of mental disorder, this is likely to be the majority of cases.

The History of Unreason

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-19
Author(s):  
Samuel Teague ◽  
Peter Robinson
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Social Construction ◽  
Mentally Ill ◽  
Historical Narrative ◽  
Individual Responsibility ◽  
Socially Constructed ◽  
The Social ◽  
Health And Illness ◽  
History Of

This chapter reflects on the importance of the historical narrative of mental illness, arguing that Western countries have sought new ways to confine the mentally ill in the post-asylum era, namely through the effects of stigma and medicalization. The walls are invisible, when once they were physical. The chapter outlines how health and illness can be understood as socially constructed illustrating how mental health has been constructed uniquely across cultures and over time. To understand this process more fully, it is necessary to consider the history of madness, a story of numerous social flashpoints. The trajectories of two primary mental health narratives are charted in this chapter. The authors argue that these narratives have played, and continue to play, an important role in the social construction of mental illness. These narratives are “confinement” and “individual responsibility.” Drawing on the work of Michel Foucault and Roy Porter, the authors describe how Western culture has come to consider the mentally ill as a distinct, abnormal other.

scholarly journals Mad studies and social work: Conceptualising the subjectivities of service user/survivors who experience significant mental health problems

2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 98-118
Author(s):  
Stephen J Macdonald ◽  
Anne Charnock ◽  
Jane Scutt
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Social Construct ◽  
Socially Constructed ◽  
Mad Studies

This article draws on contemporary and classical psycho–political theorists to conceptualise ‘mental illness’ as a social construct. The research employs a Mad Studies and anti-psychiatry perspective to reframe ‘mental illness’ from an individualised pathological defect to a socially constructed reality (Foucault, 1967; Menzies et al., 2013). The study applies a qualitative biographical methodology to analyse the subjectivities of people with severe mental health problems, their family members and mental health practitioners. In this study, once individuals were conceptualised as pathologically ‘ill’ they were then medicated and often institutionalised as a form of ‘treatment’. The findings present a theoretical analysis of participants’ subjectivities to examine historic and contemporary psychiatric practices. The article will conclude by discussing how Mad Studies can offer social work practice an alternative theoretical standpoint to conceptualise ‘mental illness’ as a social rather than a pathological phenomenon.Keywords: mad studies; anti-psychiatry movement; ‘mental illness’; biographical methodology; institutionalisation; medicalisation; family

scholarly journals “Communitas in Crisis”: An Autoethnography of Psychosis Under Lockdown

2021 ◽  
pp. 104973232110252
Author(s):  
Alison Fixsen
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Interactions ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Psychiatric Ward ◽  
Service Users ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
Health And Social Services ◽  
Socially Constructed ◽  
Acute Psychiatric Ward

In this article, I use autoethnography to examine time spent on an acute psychiatric ward during the COVID-19 lockdown. I employ the device of “communitas in crisis” to emphasize the precarious nature of this experience and the extent to which, for myself at least, informal social interactions with fellow patients and “communitas” were significant features of my hospital experience and subsequent discharge. I suggest that a lack of emphasis on inpatient to inpatient relationships in the recovery literature is an omission and a reflection of psychiatry’s authority struggles with both service users and professionals, along with a general perception of psychosis as individual rather than as a socially constructed phenomenon. I also suggest that, especially in the wake of greater social distancing, mental health and social services should safeguard against psychological and social isolation by creating more spaces for struggling people to interact without fear or prejudice.

New Identities for the New Century

2001 ◽  
Vol 82 (4) ◽  
pp. 335-344 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sophie Freud
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Sexual Orientation ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
The Self ◽  
Static Structure ◽  
Socially Constructed ◽  
The Many

In view of our postmodern Zeitgeist, and our shrinking world, we come upon identity as a concept that needs to be reconsidered. This paper examines the various categories that constitute identity, such as age, gender, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, race and even family. Each category forms a collection of values. These categories are viewed as socially constructed, usually with fuzzy boundaries, and have often been used for malignant purposes such as warfare, persecution, and discrimination. If people become identified with only one or two categories, either out of choice or through coercion, the identification negates the many elements that constitute the self, and it may lead to hostility and warfare against all “outsiders.” Identity is not viewed as a static structure, since different categories become foreground or background, depending on social, political, and historical circumstances. The author uses her own identity-voyage to illustrate her thoughts. Mental health professionals should try to propagate manifold categories for many-sided selves that will avoid pitting groups of people against each other and promote inclusive rather than exclusive identities. Therapists should be in the forefront in dialogues about values for the new century and this paper is a step in this direction.

scholarly journals Bias Misinformation and Disinformation: Mental Health Employment and Human Computer Interaction

10.28945/3016 ◽  
2006 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Martin ◽  
Elspeth McKay ◽  
Janki Shankar
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Human Computer Interaction ◽  
Systems Design ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
Information Communication Technologies ◽  
Information Communication ◽  
Socially Constructed ◽  
Dominant Paradigm ◽  
Computer Interaction

This paper explores the design and application of information communication technologies and human computer interaction for people recovering from severe mental illness wishing to gain employment. It is argued bias, misinformation and disinformation limit opportunities for people recovering from mental illness who are seeking employment. Issues of bias are explored in relation to systems design as well as dominant socially constructed paradigms of ‘mental health’ and ‘mental illness’ and employment. Misinformation is discussed according to the contemporary dominant paradigm of ‘recovery’ as well as web resources, discrimination and employment. Disinformation is considered in terms of media myths and stereotypes and vocational rehabilitation. Multidisciplinary collaboration is required to meet the ICT needs of this diverse group.

Preparing Mental Health Professionals to Work With Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence: A Comprehensive Systematic Review of the Literature

Affilia ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 088610992096082
Author(s):  
Amber Sutton ◽  
Haley Beech ◽  
Burcu Ozturk ◽  
Debra Nelson-Gardell
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Intimate Partner Violence ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Partner Violence ◽  
Intimate Partner ◽  
Adverse Outcomes ◽  
Accurate Identification ◽  
Financial Outcomes ◽  
Socially Constructed

Intimate partner violence (IPV) affects millions of individuals across all demographics and ethnicities. Research has revealed a direct link between experiencing IPV and having adverse physical, mental, and financial outcomes which can create difficulties for survivors. Survivors experiencing these adverse outcomes are likely to seek out support to address these issues, increasing the likelihood that they will encounter mental health professionals (MHPs). MHPs can play a significant role in assessing and addressing IPV since they are often critical access points for those experiencing violence and are likely to counsel victims. Accurate identification of current or past IPV victimization is crucial to avoiding the potential of misdiagnosis of survivors. In addition, by applying and emphasizing an understanding of the connection between individual and structural explorations of gender, race, class, and other socially constructed identities, mental health professionals can utilize the skills necessary to challenge inequalities, which in turn can encourage survivors to create strategies that make sense to themselves and their communities. This study explores what is known about how MHPs are prepared to work with IPV. Peer-reviewed journals that were published between 2005 and 2019 were reviewed systematically to develop a better understanding of the existing literature. We sought to answer the question, “What is known about how MHPs are prepared to work with IPV?” This review identified 20 articles regarding training experiences of MHPs and how these experiences shaped their responses to and practice with those experiencing IPV.

The History of Unreason

2019 ◽  
pp. 1-19
Author(s):  
Samuel Teague ◽  
Peter Robinson
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Social Construction ◽  
Mentally Ill ◽  
Historical Narrative ◽  
Individual Responsibility ◽  
Socially Constructed ◽  
The Social ◽  
Health And Illness ◽  
History Of

This chapter reflects on the importance of the historical narrative of mental illness, arguing that Western countries have sought new ways to confine the mentally ill in the post-asylum era, namely through the effects of stigma and medicalization. The walls are invisible, when once they were physical. The chapter outlines how health and illness can be understood as socially constructed illustrating how mental health has been constructed uniquely across cultures and over time. To understand this process more fully, it is necessary to consider the history of madness, a story of numerous social flashpoints. The trajectories of two primary mental health narratives are charted in this chapter. The authors argue that these narratives have played, and continue to play, an important role in the social construction of mental illness. These narratives are “confinement” and “individual responsibility.” Drawing on the work of Michel Foucault and Roy Porter, the authors describe how Western culture has come to consider the mentally ill as a distinct, abnormal other.

Sexuality of Women with Young Children: A Feminist Model of Mental Health Counseling

2011 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 95-111 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shannon Trice-Black ◽  
Victoria Foster
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Young Children ◽  
Primary Caregivers ◽  
Sexual Scripts ◽  
Mental Health Counseling ◽  
Health Counseling ◽  
Socially Constructed ◽  
Self Image ◽  
Postpartum Recovery ◽  
Significant Attention

Although postpartum recovery and women's sexual behavior have received significant attention, little is known about the experiences of mothers with young children. Socially constructed images of mothers often depict them both as rebounding with sexual enthusiasm and sensuality and as devoted primary caregivers, while also holding a job. This fantasy breadwinner/homemaker model denies the challenges many mothers of young children face in struggling to reclaim their sexual selves. Such constructions are incongruent with the realities of motherhood and the psychological challenges women face to reassemble sexual identity, self-image, and sexual scripts. This article presents a feminist model of mental health counseling that offers women affirmation, encouragement, and support as they explore their identities as sexual women and as mothers.

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