The Social Model of Mental Illness Essay - 1337 Words

The Social Model of Mental Illness The social model of mental illness emphasizes the social environment and the roles people play. Thomas Scheff maintains that people diagnosed as mentally ill are victims of the status quo, guilty of often unnamed violations of social norms; thus the label mental illness can be used as an instrument of social control. I agree with Scheffs analysis, and I strongly concur with the view Thomas Szasz takes on the notion of mental illness. Szasz argues that much of what we call mental illness is a myth; it is not an illness, but simply problems in living, troubles caused by conflicting personal needs, opinions, social aspirations, values, and so forth (Szasz 13). It thus follows that the widely†¦show more content†¦In his view, today, particularly in the affluent West, all of the difficulties and problems in living are considered psychiatric diseases, and everyone (but the diagnosticians) is considered mentally ill (Szasz 4). However, there is very little evidence supportin g the popular view that for the most part mental illnesses are mental diseases; that is, of a legitimate biological, physiological, neurological or chromosomal nature. Instead, as Szasz writes, what people now call mental illnesses are, for the most part, communications expressing unacceptable ideas, often framed in an unusual idiom (Szasz 19).Show MoreRelatedThe Psychology Of Mental Illness1177 Words   |  5 PagesWhen it comes to mental illness, I have the point of view of someone who is training to be a health care professional. During my past clinical experience as a nursing student at the Alberta Hospital Edmonton, I was immersed in an environment filled with individuals who were acutely mentally ill, and two of these individuals were my patients. While â€Å"The Sociology of Mental Illness† is an excellent source of information about mental illness in the context of sociology, based on my experience at AlbertaRead MoreSociological Approaches Of Mental Illness1367 Wo rds   |  6 Pages â€Æ' The Deviance Model places certain individuals who portray qualities of what we may consider as people with mental illness, where their thoughts, feelings, or behaviors violate own or others expectations (the violation of social norms). This sociological approach is frequently debated where the individual is being conceptualized as either sick or deviant which then reflects on their deviant behavior. Deviant behaviors should not determine whether someone is mentally ill or not. There are individualsRead MoreCritically Compare and Contrast Community Psychology and Public Health Approaches to Social Problems851 Words   |  4 Pagesapproaches to social problems. 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It started out as a support system for people with mental illness, but did not include treatment programsRead MoreMental Illness And Psychiatric Disability Essay1406 Words   |  6 Pagesto explain the definitions of mental health, mental illness and psychiatric disability, using bipolar disorder as an example to illustrate these points. Bipolar disorder will also be used to explain the concepts of the medical and social m odels of disability, highlight the influence these two models could have on people with the disorder and the experiences they might encounter. There will be a focus on some of the experiences a person suffering from mental illness might have in society, the effectRead MoreThe Myth Of Mental Illness By Thomas Szasz Summary1472 Words   |  6 PagesReview of Thomas Szasz. M.D.,The Myth Of Mental Illness: Foundations of a Theory of Personal Conduct. Thomas Szasz was one of the first psychiatrist to criticise psychiatry and argue about the concept of mental illness. His book â€Å"The Myth of Mental Illness: Foundations of a Theory of Personal Conduct† highlights the fundamental flaws in the administration of psychiatry, with the aim of challenging the medical characteristics of the concept of mental illness and the wrongful treatment of patients without