Disability Studies 1010A/B Chapter 10: Exploring a Model of Madness and Distress
17 Dec 2018
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Document Summary
The four key issues that were explored were: how society understands mental health issues. How the participants personally understood mental health issues. How the social model of disability related to mental health. How madness and distress were personally understood within the social model of disability. The existing medical individual model of mental illness has negative effects. The medical model is seen as dominant among professionals, society, and those who use medical services. Opinions regarding the social model of disability were varied in nature. There was a general support for a more social approach to responding to and understanding mental health issues with more consideration for external issues. Many felt that barriers were experienced by disabled people in accessing services. Regarding the use of terminology, there was no general consensus. Developing new ways of thinking about mental health through building upon the social model was seen to have positive gains.
