- Explain how mental health can be understood as a social problem.
- Explain why people from different social locations, like gender, race, and class, experience different levels of mental health systems, diagnosis, and treatment.
- Explain how mental health and mental illness relate to race and class, particularly in relationship to exacerbating other social problems.
- Explain how the social structure and behaviors of patriarchy impact the experience of social problems for women and non-binary people, particularly related to mental health and mental illness.
- Compare and contrast the multiple medical, psychological, and sociological models of mental health and mental illness.
- Evaluate interdependent solutions using collective action and individual agency to provide effective mental health solutions that expand social justice.
Chapter Overview
I am grateful to my husband Jon who has taught me a new way to live with a severe mental illness.
Our human lives contain sadness, loss, excitement, joy, and, especially in the United States, feeling like you are not enough. But what are the boundaries between having a tough week and mental illness? To begin, we’ll read my story about my interactions in a mental hospital.
Kate’s Story
- Holland is a man in his 30s who has schizoaffective disorder. He was experiencing psychosis and mania.
- Lise is a woman in her 50s who has been addicted to alcohol and other drugs since her teens. She is in the hospital for detox, after which she will go to a residential addiction treatment program.
- Music is a man in his 40s who has schizophrenia. He often forgets his name, and as a result, he changes his name frequently.
- Jim is a man in his 20s who has depression. He is in the hospital because of a suicide attempt.
- Liz is a woman in her 20s who has anxiety and depression. She is in the hospital because of a suicide attempt.
(*All of the names are changed to protect the anonymity of the people.)
Personal Experiences of Stigma and Out-grouping in the Psychiatric Hospital
Encounter 1: “Do you believe in UFOs?”
From my diary: Monday, Day 1, South Unit
Holland and I were standing in line for dinner, and we started talking about our delusions. They are almost exactly the same! We got so excited because finally, for once, we were talking to somebody who believed us and who understood! Holland GETS me. He knows about the things that come over the radio. I know about the signs he gets from church. I am so excited to meet somebody who is like me!
Lise was overhearing us and said, “What do you mean?” Holland explained that there were things going on in the universe that she doesn’t know about, and only special people can know about them. Then Christian broke in and said, “How do you know about this?” I told him I heard it on the radio. Then Jim said, in a totally rude and demeaning voice, “Do you believe in ghosts? Do you believe in UFOs? You can’t believe everything you hear on the radio!” First of all, Jim thought I wa