Sociology 2259 Chapter Notes - Chapter 8: Antisocial Personality Disorder, Reog, Dcf Interframe Space
30 Apr 2018
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Chapter 8- Mental Disorders:
• Think images difference and alienation first think mental disorders sugg they not as
competent, human/ safe be around rest of us
• Concept mental disorder entails exp mental disorder= ways affects thoughts, feelings/
behav and also has social dimension= ways others perceive and treat those w mental
illness
• Mental disorder- psych, bio/ behav dysfunction that interferes w daily life- alterations
thinking, mood/ behav ass w sig distress and impaired functioning
• DSM clearly outlines precisely what types thoughts, moods and behavs constitute mental
illness and under what circs
Who has mental disorders?
• Affect many CN directly (exp themselves) or indirectly (friend, fam memb, co-worker)
• WHO (2011)- mental disorders affect 25% world’s pop at some point in their lives
• Most common MDs- depressive, anxiety and somatic complaints- strike 1 in 3 individs
• Orig said W suffer more but methodologically flawed b/c focused types psych distress
more common W and excluding qs types distress more common in men, surveys overest
W mental health probs and underest men’s
• Today agree overall rates MD virtually identical men and women, but reog distinct difs in
patterns and types MD
• Anti-social personality disorder, substance abuse dependency disorders and conduct
disorders more common in men
• Disorders classified “common mental disorders”- dep and anxiety- much more common
in W- reasons why W countries throughout world more likely exp= sociocult in nature
• CMDs consistently linked part life stressors and neg life events= avg more prevalent in
W’s lives- low income/ income inequal, low/subord social status, extensive resp daily
care others and victimization by violence
• Social causation hypothesis- more life stresses and fewer resources characterize lives
lower class, cont emergence mental disordersMerton’s strain theory- sugg mental illness
can emerge in response to gap b/w institutionalized goals and legitimate means for
attaining these goals
• Retreatism (mode adaption)- give up pursuing goals as well as legit means of attaining
those goals, can include alcoholism, drug use/ mental illness
• Social selection hyp- people w mental disorders can fall into lower economic strata b/c
difs in daily funct (schizophrenia, conduct disorders, ADHD- less likely rise out)
• Causation depends specific mental disorder in q- social causation underlie dep, anxiety,
substance use disorders and anti-social personality disorder- life stresses ass w economic
difs cont emergence these disorders
• WHO- variety social conds ass w poor mental health including pov, low levels edu,
human rights violations, gender discrim, rapid social change (anomie)
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• Independent SES and gender, age correlated w mental illness- more prev among
adolescents and young adults and most disorders emerge at this time- period change and
stress ex: uni, dev adult role (deciding type edu and career, financially indep and part
mate-selection process)
The costs of mental illness:
• Having mental disorder can cont wide range neg life outcomes and individs and fams
must bear direct and indirect financial costs (costs health care/ unemployment)
• Some mental illnesses correlated w other physical ailments ex: dep rel higher risk heart
disease and less likely comply w medical instructions other physical ailments= poorer
health overall and greater likelihood complications
• Emotional burden living w mental disorder creates considerable challenge to all aspects
daily living and infl quality of life overall
• Insuf treated MD have considerable impact on society- national economies exp costs
mental illnesses b/c premature deaths from suicide, absenteeism from work, lost
productivity while at work, fam membs absence work to provide care and more
• Estimate cost mental illness in CN $50 billion every year
• Worldwide 2/3 people have mental disorders never treated variety reasons including lack
services, perceptions treatment inadequate, discomfort w level self-disclosure
accompanies diagnosis and treatment, perceptions stigmatization/ neglect own fams and
comms
• More subjectivist pserp, Wolff (2007) sugg cost-of-illness est should be viewed w
caution- not just product biochem=interacts w economics and social norms ex: drug costs
lower so would costs mental illness
• Estimates fail take into account many ways individs w mental disorders cont to soc=
reflective neg att surround mental illness
• Cost-of-illness estimates only take on social meaning when look at ways in which we
collectively view and treat people w mental illnesses
Controlling mental disorder: Perceptions, stigmatization and treatment:
Stigmatization and perceptions of mental illness:
• Mental illness addressed in media, portrayed exceedingly neg light and typ ass w violent
behav- pervasive even in children’s media= portrayed unattractive, agg, violent, crim and
failures in life
• 1/3 undergrad students said media is primary source info about mental illness and number
one infl on own att toward people w mental disorders
• Prejudice world wide and manifests self in social rejection and discrim= perceived
unpredictable, dangerous and uncontrollable (exp violence as well)- att exist medical
comm too- physical illness remain untreated (not given credibility)
• Mental illness can even be stig by some mental health profs, who frequently admit try
avoid having to treat patients w more severe mental illnesses (may subscribe even more
stereotypes others b/c typ see clients symptoms when are at worst)
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• Masters in social work, stereotypes people serious MD common, except among those had
more personal social contacts in form friends w serious MD
• Loneliness and social isolation accompanies social rejection can amplify psych
symptoms, making worse- stig personal exps not even nec these types neg consequences
occur= aware neg perceptions lowers SE and increases feelings demoralization
• Self-stigma-individs internalize label mentally ill as well as its eval components
(uncontrollable), becoming less likely conform to treatment regimens/ even seek
treatment
• Exceedingly neg perceptions cont discrim employment, health care and housing
• Psychiatric institutions= poor living conds, inadequate care and harmful treatment
• Affects prog and policy dev- soc characterized extremely neg att toward MD also tend
not to rate mental illness as policy/ prog priority (characteristic most countries)
The medicalization of mental disorder:
• Psychiatrists det which thoughts/ behavs deviant and incorp DSM, deviant b/c cause sig
distress and impairments in daily funct and provide measures social control= treatments
improve quality life and functioning
The history of social control of mental illness;
• During middle ages and early renaissance, refusal conform soc norms considered sign
allegiance w devil= witch/ heretic, put on trial, virtually always convicted and put to
death (burning at stake)
• As religious explans replaced by sci, auth no longer saw non-norm behavs signs
possession/ allegiance w devil- fams and comms took care individs exhibited strange
thoughts and behavs
• 18th cent madhouses created specifically those w mental illnesses= warehouse disordered
so soc normal citizens feel safe and secure
• Late 19th cent, madhouses replaced w asylums as some doctors proposed w approp
treatment, people w mental illnesses could be trained conform soc norms- medicalization
mental illness came predom western cults
• Treatments people w mental illnesses provided psych institutions seen now as barbaric-
lobotomies and fever therapies= failure cure and social concerns harshness led many be
abandoned
• Late 1950s people began wonder how removing individs from home, from support fam
and semblance normality comm and placing in institutions where dehumanized and
isolated could help recovery- along w new drug treatments eff controlled forms MD=
deinstitutionalization- social control people w mental illnesses in comm-based progs
rather than institutions
Treating mental illness today:
• Treatment options diverse and quite effective improving funct and qual life individs w
MDs- combo medical and psychosocial support part helpful severe mental illness
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