Mental health patients are stigmatized, even in the most developed nations. Even in these developed nations there is often a lack in proper access and education for underprivileged populations. One way the burden of mental health issues can be measured in Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALY); one DALY is thought of as one year lost of “healthy” life. (WHO, 2016) The sum of these DALYs are described by the World Health Organization as being “The gap in the current health status and an ideal health situation where the entire population lives to an advanced age, free of disease and disability.” (WHO, 2016) In Africa, investments in mental health care have been low, and for the most at-risk populations there is little or no access to mental health programs available. Of the most at-risk populations, women are the most affected by the mental health gap and in developing nations, such as Tanzania; the gap is felt even more. As one of the poorest nations in the world, there are very few resources allocated toward mental health, and even fewer for women. Tanzania has little data available on the lifetime effect of mental health and female populations. There is a need to better understand the mental health gap in Tanzania and the …show more content…
Early exposure to violence and/or trauma may increase feelings of depression and affect ability to cope with life-stressors, henceforth be related to suicidal outcomes. (Devries, 2011) In a community-based study that examines the major stressors identified by the Iraqw and Datoga women, a community located in rural northern Tanzania; a myriad of stressors is evaluated. The major causes of distress described range from food insecurity to pressures of modernity. The women of the Datoga and Iraqw communities often describe modes of distress through somatic symptoms such as sleep loss, headache and loss of appetite. (Pike,
Mental healthcare has a long and murky past in the United States. In the early 1900s, patients could live in institutions for many years. The treatments and conditions were, at times, inhumane. Legislation in the 1980s and 1990s created programs to protect this vulnerable population from abuse and discrimination. In the last 20 years, mental health advocacy groups and legislators have made gains in bringing attention to the disparity between physical and mental health programs. However, diagnosis and treatment of mental illnesses continues to be less than optimal. Mental health disparities continue to exist in all areas of the world.
Due to the endless efforts and research of certain foundations and individuals, the ideas and functions of mental health have improved significantly. The advancements made in the field are impressive and without them, humankind would not be the same. Yet then why do only fewer than eight million people who are in need of help seek treatment? National Mental Health Association, 2001. The history, stigmatization, and perception of mental illness are some of the many reasons behind that alarming statistic.... ...
People who are in different societal groups measure health in different ways. Mental health affects people in developing countries in different ways because they look at different aspects of and compare different things. People in developing countries who have money and who are able to access the medical care are looked at to be at a higher social status. Medical care in these areas cost money, a lot of people who do not have the money are not able to access the support they would need to improve their mental health. Due to mental health being a topic that is rarely talked about it is also something that a lot of people suffer from but no one talks about because they are not able to get
Calma, T. & Dudgeon, P. 2013, Mental health gap must be addressed, The Australian, .
were males, 7221, and the rest 564 were females. In order to see if the participates had any sort of mental illness they looked at self reported treatment, related to mental health (Biltz). The results of this study found that the amount of inmates that participating in this study had a disproportionally number of inmates with mental healthy that were physically victimized. According to this study prisons are a violent and unsafe place for people who suffer from mental illness (Biltz). Male inmates who suffered from any form of mental illness were nearly 1.6 times more likely to be physically victimized while in prison. Females inmates who had a mental illness were even more likely to suffer from physical victimization, they were nearly 2 times more likely than male inmates with mental illness (Blitz). Inmates that were African Americans and Hispanics were more likely to be physically victimized either by inmates or staff.
In South Sudan, displaced women have reported incidences of violence such as sexual assault, rape and physical abuse by intimate partners (Kamau et al., 2004). It is reported that 16 women are raped in a day within the camps in South Sudan (Lancet, 2004, RCM, 2004).
Mental health disparities, “the power imbalances that impact practices influencing access, quality, and outcomes of behavioral health care, or a significant disparity in the overall rate of disease incidence, prevalence, morbidity, mortality, or survival rate in a specific group of people defined along racial and ethnic lines, as compared with the general population” (Safran, 2011). Although there are many mental health care dipartites, I’m going to focus on the impact of poverty and lack of attention given to mental health. By advocating for a prevention, promotion, and intervention related to mental health, will aid in minimizing mental health disparities. Not only is it important to advocate on a macro level, but it is important to educate
The social problem we have chosen to address is the mental health status of refugees. Refugees are exposed to a significant amount of trauma due to fear, war, persecution, torture, and relocating. The mental health illnesses that can affect refugees due to exposure to traumas include post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and anxiety. Research indicated that refugees relocating from war-torn countries are particularly vulnerable to mental health concerns because many have experienced early traumas and face further post-traumas after relocation (Cummings, et al., 2011). However, despite the prevalence of mental health issues concerning refugees, mental health needs often go unrecognized and untreated.
There are many factors that could be the cause for a domestic violence; such as alcoholism, drug addiction, financial burdens, a failing economy system, psychological disparity, sexual deviousness and/or behaviors learned within a vicious cycle. It is known, that physical and/or sexual violence has a great impact on the overall mental health of the victims. Women present significant symptoms of anxiety, anguish, fatigue, headaches, tension and other psychosomatic symptoms. Most common, however, were symptoms of depression and deterioration in self-esteem. Of even greater concern, is thoughts and attempts of suicide, which is seen by victims as a real alternative and sometimes the only solution to their situation. Also, feelings of fatigue, irritability, insomnia and other problems have a direct impact on physical and mental
Stigmatization of mental health and suicide is a major problem which affects patients and their caregivers around the world. The stigma leads to negative behavior and stereotyping towards the person with mental illness. This causes the person affected by this to fell rejection and to feel shame about their condition. All the stigma leads to underreporting, and data collection methods that is critical to suicide prevention that needs to be improved. So with this the number for mental health and suicide is much higher then what is reported. Mental health is a worldwide issue that no one understands and an issue that
Imagine society blamed people for being diagnosed with illnesses such as cancer? Claiming that it was their choices in life that led to such an awful disease. To make them feel guilty of a situation that was in no way deserved by them. This happens all the time to victims of mental illness, but with the added burden of shame. Considering the shocking statistic that one in four will experience some kind of mental health problem in the course of a year in the UK , why is it that we hardly hear of people suffering from mental illness? Why is it a cloud of judgment and misunderstanding still surrounds the subject? People with a mental disorder or with a history of mental health issues are continually ostracized by society. This results in it being more difficult than it already is for the mentally ill to admit their symptoms to others and to seek treatment. To towards understanding mental illness is to finally lift the stigma, and to finally let sufferers feel safe and accepted within today’s society.
Mental disorders are among the most common causes of disability. The resulting disease burden of mental illness is among the highest ...
In the United States, most people might think that everyone is equally healthy either mentally or physically, however, this is not true. In fact, “people in the U.S. public mental health system who have a serious mental illness are dying 25 years earlier than the general population. Those who have a dual diagnosis of mental illness and substance abuse, on average, die nearly 32 years earlier than their fellow citizens outside of the public mental health system” (Miller 1). This means that citizens with mental disorders are not capable of living life to the fullest due to severe mental issues, and we should monitor them to minimize patients with mental illness. Now that the commotion has settled, what is mental illness? The term mental illness
Mental disorders are rapidly becoming more common with each new generation born in the world. Currently, nearly one in two people suffer from some form of depression, anxiety, or other mental health problem at some point in their lives (Editor). With so many people suffering from their mental illnesses, steps have been taken in order to get help needed for these people but progress has been slow. In the medical world, hospitals are treating those with physical problems with more care than those with mental problems. Prescription drugs can only do so much helping the mentally ill go through their daily lives and more should be done to help those who need more than medicine to cope with their illness. Mental health should be considered just as important as physical health because of how advanced physical healing is, how the public reacts to those with mental illness, and due to the consequences that could happen if the illness is not correctly helped.
It is deeply alarming that ignoring mental health is systematically ignored as an important part of health promotion. This is shocking because, in theory, mental health is recognized as an important component of health, the close link between physical and mental health is recognized, and it is generally known that physical and mental health share many of the same social, environmental and economic components. We know that facilities dedicated to those with mental health problems are more vulnerable to the resources of physical diseases in many parts of the world, and it is essential that mental health promotion should not be equally affected