Assignment 2 Health And Social Care Essay

Assignment 2 – Essay

Introduction

The answer as to whether the current move towards biogenetic explanations for mental illness help or hinder efforts to reduce stigma is actually a changing one. As experts in the field produce more studies and review statistics, government changes in policies and health care are also reviewed, access to services for patients change, and hence the results change. This essay will discuss whether the current trend of attributing biological and genetic causes to mental illness has improved social acceptance and reduced the stigma associated with these disorders in the present day, or if alternatively, it has had a negative impact on societal views of patients with mental illness. Some aspects of concern regarding social stigma may be blaming the sufferer, doubt regarding diagnosis, social distance and perceived danger. Other aspects that could be a

However prior to the 1950’s overcrowding and lack of training of staff often resulted in a custodial care model being the standard. Nurses were not common and the male custodians were untrained medically, and as such meant that patients were not given any treatment to help them improve from their condition. Society’s attitude during this time was also one of fear and intolerance, and those labelled as lunatics or the insane were believed to be genetically inferior and dangerous, and they had “bad blood” (Happell, 2007). This meant that institutions were placed well away from the general population and they had little to no contact with the outside world. In 1955, conditions in mental hospitals Australia-wide were investigated under the Stoller report (Ibell, 2015). Stoller recorded overcrowding and the poor sanitary conditions at Callan Park, however very little was done to improve