Introduction
In the developed countries, life expectancy has been known to show a rate of steady improvement in the last few years (WHO report, 2002). However, the point to notice here is that this improvement has not been consistent among all the different segments present in a given population. There are major inequalities when it comes to the different population groups, and in some countries it has been noticed that these inequalities seem to be increasing. Irrespective of the country, or the population group, inequalities present in health and healthcare services happen to be an unacceptable circumstance. This view was expressed for the first time in the Declaration of Alma Ata (1978) and it explicitly stated that “the existing gross inequality in the health status of the people … is politically, socially and economically unacceptable”
In that respect, mental health of all individuals happen o be an issue of public health. Mental illness, especially large scale depression, happens to be one of the largest sources of burden among diseases all over the world. There aren’t a lot of other diseases that could possibly match up to depression in the collective extent in terms of persistence, prevalence and most importantly the breadth of impact (Friedli and Parsonage, 2007). Mental health is determined with the help of a very wide range of health and social outcomes surrounding an individual. At the societal and community levels also the state of mental health of the individual who form the part of the society and community tends to have a very direct impact on the lives of everyone who is a part of it. Socio economic and health related problems happen to be a direct outcome of poor mental health, especially depression, wh...
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Prevention of mental illness and promotion of well-being:
There are different effective interventions which can help maintaining the mental health in the later year of the psychological interventions and these areas are like high social support in times of adversity, (Merry et al.,2006) walking and physical activity programs, prevention of social isolation, addressing sensory deficit such as deafness, multi-agency violence prevention, adequate heating, promoting learning, psycho educational interventions for careers and poverty reduction in the society at large. (Kirkwood et al., 2008) It is very important not only to target those people with the most severe illness but also to address the needs of larger populations. The population with common mental disorders and those with a sub threshold disorder are also the responsibility of the society and the system.
Variations in life expectancy and its changes are one major cause of rising income inequality. How long a person lives, as well as their quality of health, can have an important and huge impact on their income and social mobility. The life expectancy of the bottom 10% increases at only half the rate that the life expectancy of the top 10% does (Belsie). This shows that improvements in medicine benefit the wealthy more than the poor. The less wealthy have decreased access to good medical insurance and cannot afford more expensive, quality medical care. The poor are less likely to invest in healthy food and exercise, lowering life expectancy and overall health. These changes result in a cycle that causes the poor to be less healthy, and the less healthy to become increasingly poor. On the other side, the rich have different variations of habits, education, and environments, which can affect life expectancy, often positively for the
Mental health is a broad subject that touches on the psychological, emotional and social well-being of a person and how it affects the way they feel, think or act. Mental health is a fundamental element in the handling of stress, making choices, as well as creating and managing social relationships. Comprehensive understanding of the mental health will be useful in improving healthcare for persons living with mental health problems. According to World Health Organization (WHO), there are about 550 million people globally who live with mental and behavioural disorders which fall under the mental health subject (Kessler, 2010). Scientists and psychologists have realized the possibility of a correlation between poverty and mental health. It is
Depression is a serious medical illness that negatively affects how a person conducts him/herself, and the way he/she think. Depression may include anxiety disorders, post-traumatic stress disorders, manic depressions. People with a depressive illness cannot merely ‘pull themselves together’ and get better. About 5% of the population will have some form of a mental illness at some point in their lives. Half of these people will also have a substance abuse
Although about 450 million people in the world currently are suffering from a mental illness, many untreated, the topic still remains taboo in modern society (Mental Health). For years, people with mental illnesses have been shut away or institutionalized, and despite cultural progression in many areas, mental illnesses are still shamed and rarely brought to light outside of the psychiatric community. The many different forms in which mental illness can occur are incredibly prevalent in the world today, and there is a substantial debate about the way that they should be handled. Some people are of the opinion that mental illness is merely a variance in perception and that it either can be fixed through therapy or should not be treated at all, and that treatment can have negative side effects. Other groups of people believe that mental illness is a very serious affliction and should be treated as a disease through a combination of counselling and medication because people suffering from an untreated mental illness are a danger to themselves and society as a whole. This debate is a popular one, discussed everywhere from the medical field to the dinner table, and it is such because of the numerous lives it affects on the well-being of fellow members of society and the economy. People suffering from mental illnesses are afflicted with anything from delusions, to manic periods, to periods of deep emotional darkness due to experiences and brain chemistry (Johnson). Due to the negative effects untreated mental illness has been proven to have on the human well-being and society as a whole, medication should most certainly be seen as a valid and sometimes necessary way to treat those who suffer from mental illnesses.
Mental health is a crucial part of our being and has a profound effect on how we live our lives. It determines how we socialize, how we reason, how we deal with our emotions, and how we handle stress; and when impaired and/or neglected, it can have crippling effects on the way in which we function on a cognitive or even physical level. Anyone can become susceptible to mental illness or compromised mental well-being. However, throughout history mental health has often been overlooked by society and mental illness, in particular, has been long stigmatized. This has left many of those affected untreated, poorly treated, destitute, and even outcast from society. Through education and the changing attitudes of society, mental health treatment has
Health is a complex concept, and when we talk about health we refer to body health and to the health of the mind, the health of relationships between us and those around us, the spiritual health. Looking online on one of the additional resources recommended, www.nimh.nih.gov, I have noticed that one of the symptoms of most diseases that affect a person's mental health is lack of sleep. Lack of sleep not only worsens man's mental health, but also causes serious imbalances in metabolism, immunity, general mood, and last but not least, affects the ability of learning and memorizing among students. The sleep fulfills a number of vital functions for both our mind and body. We spend about a third of our lives sleeping, which is a valuable and useful
Is depression a mental illness? Before we get into the discussion we need to know what depression is. Depression is typically defined as a mood state that goes well beyond temporarily feeling sad or blue. It is a serious medical illness that affects one’s thoughts, feelings, behavior, mood and physical health. How is it determined to be a mental illness? The American Psychiatric Association 's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) is the current reference used by health care professionals to diagnose mental illnesses such as depression. Depression symptoms are listed as follows: Depressed mood (such as feelings of sadness or emptiness; Reduced interest in activities that used to be enjoyed;
Summary of the Value of Life and the rise in Health Spending The article focuses on individual-level spending and willingness to pay to reduce mortality by elaborating on two key variables aggregate health spending and Life expectancy. These two factors are discussed at length using figure I and II, where they compare the consumption of health services with purchase of services or goods (not including investment in medical facilities) and project the historical growth in life expectancy towards the future. This article emphasizes on the fact that it uses constant which is crucial for understanding the rising health share. In Figure V this model looks back into the mid 1900’s and projects an average of 2.31 percent increase income of the population which would result in an increase in overall health sharing too. The two economic principles that counteract are diminishing marginal utility of consumption and the diminishing returns to the production of health.
The World Health Organisation define health inequalities as; ‘differences in health status or in the distribution of health determinants between different population groups. Some health inequalities are attributed to biological variations or free choice and others are attributable to the external environment and conditions mainly outside the control of the individuals concerned’ (Who.int, 2013). Therefore, while some variation in health experience is unavoidable, much of it can be attributed to unequal opportunities, that is, social inequality (Tones and Green, 2004, p. 68).
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.
Mental health is just as important as physical health in a person’s life. Mental health is critical to a person’s well-being, their ability to live a productive life and to keep a healthy family and interpersonal relationships. Mental health does not just affect the mind it also affects people’s physical health. Some physical health diseases can cause a mental health disorder and vice versa. Mental health disorders are associated with the occurrence, development, and outcome of some of the today’s most chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. When people go untreated from a mental health disorder are at a higher risk for many unhealthy behaviors such as alcohol and drug use, violent behavior, and suicide.
Cassano, P. Fava, M. (2002). Depression and public health: an overview. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 53, 849–857. Retrieved from http://www.psychology.com/resources/depression.php
The objective of this project shall identify the extent to which the principle of equity underpins government strategy in contemporary Irish health policy. In order to examine this principle, the essay will focus on the health services for older people. Such services are an important topic to address in modern day Irish society because the population of those aged over 65 is set to increase considerably which will cause particular economic and social implications for healthcare services in the future. Initially the paper shall provide a foundation of historical developments that have emerged within the Irish Healthcare system and highlight social policy implementations that have occurred. Following this, the paper will go on to discuss 'equity' with emphasis placed on the importance of effective policy measures to safeguard the equity and fair treatment of the elderly within the Irish healthcare system. Inference shall be made to the medical card scheme, hospital bed waiting lists, services for elderly people and the equity issues involving public and private healthcare. It shall also examine government policy papers in terms of how the two-tiered health system shows evidence of inequality that goes against the code of equity sought out by the `Quality and Fairness' (2001) report. Finally this essay will finish with a conclusion of the overall discussion.
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
Today, the numbers of people with mental health issues are considerably high. The problem increases the national and global social and economic burdens as governments try to find means of empowering the people with the issue and solve the problem. Today, one in five adults in the United States has a mental health problem (“Mental Health Facts,” 2016). “Mental Health Facts” (2016) also states that the adults that received mental health services are about 60%. Only 50% of the youth with mental health issues received mental health services in the previous year. Further, mental health issues are also related to drug use and addiction. Of all the mental illnesses and disorders, depression affects the most people and has the biggest burden globally. Due to the increasing burden and the gap in service utilization, the mental health policy seeks to address several factors. Some of the key issues to address include early diagnosis of mental disorders, provision of appropriate and adequate intervention a particular problem, education and counseling for the family members, and research to help reduce the numbers and reverse the trend. Another key area of focus is the use of mass media to create awareness about mental health issues and help clear the