MENTAL ILLNESS

Sociological Perspective on Mental Illness

Sociological Perspective on Mental Illness

Introduction

Sociology has made many significant contributions in last few decades. Large scale studies have been conducted on mental health and associated factors that characterize the mental illness. Mental illness has been a major objective for society. Sociologist, psychiatrists, medical scientist have given numerous theoretical viewpoints on the topic of mental health and mental illness. In the field of biological sciences, mental illness is characterized as a psychological and behavioural problem caused by stressful situations and specific disabilities.

Mental illness has been a major debate issue for last many decades. Multiple theories have been presented on mental health and factors influence the mental health level of a person. These theories have identified the factors that affect the normal mental capacity of an individual. These theories have provided a leading direction to medicinal theories that used to associate mental illness with distinguishable concrete factors limited to the physical conditions of the person (Horwitz 1999, 58). Sociological investigations have focused on the aspect that has opened new doors for further researches. There are many dimensions that are still unaddressed and need to be explored related to mental illness.

Sociological investigations on mental health and mental illness have positively impacted the knowledge in medicine field pertaining to mental health management factors. Formerly, in medicine field mental illness used to characterize by factors associated with certain body features (Michello, 2004). For a long period mental disorder used to be associated with the personality of the individual. Sociological investigations revealed that it is not limited to individual's mental state but social surroundings of individual also affect the mental state of a person (Goldstein 1979, 381). Sociological investigations focused on factors and reasons that cause mental illness and also identified the means that can be used for the treatment on mental illness.

Many featured methodological and theoretical contribution and explorations have been made concerned with the people experience and psychiatric disorders. Researches also focused on the social conditions and respective social environment factors that influence the behaviour and attitude of a person. Recent investigations in this domain have resulted in changing the aspect approach to this field which has resulted in shifting the detrimental concern towards the social aspect of human personality and mental health related concerns. These include psychological distress, influence of external events on individual's life, continuous exposition to stressful conditions, and coping with intense pressure for a longer period (Rogers, 2010).

Sociological theories wane the effectiveness of medical theories in which visible implication is presented pertaining to a particular problem. Therefore, it denies the effectiveness of medical approaches pertaining to mental illness and its treatment. Medical research models do not involve factors that are the main cause of mental deterioration (Weitz, 2009). Much of the literature forms its basis on stereotypical situations that decreases the viability of dimensional investigations pertaining to the mental health. Thus bio-research models are fact-driven when it comes to identification of factors to determine the direct causes of mental illness (Weitz, ...