Sociological Learnings in Practice
QUESTION
Personal Reflection Assignment Instruction
Write a 500-word minimum (750 word maximum) concise and clear reflective summary describing what you have learned since starting this course.
Question 1- List two important sociological learnings that you are either using in your current practice or see yourself incorporating them in the future.
Answer-
Hints-
1- List the pros and cons of labelling individuals with mental health challenges (Chapter 13: Stigma and recovery)
2- Exploring the “Somatization thesis and South Asian women” from (Chapter 5: Race, ethnicity, and mental health).
Question 2- How has this course helped change your views of mental health from a sociological perspective?
Question 3- Describe a session that stood out for you.
Answer-
Hints-
Chapter 3: Social stratification and mental health. McGraw-Hill.
• Exploring the relationship between social class and health status
• Describing the relationship between poverty and mental health status
• Describing the relationship between social class and diagnosed mental disorder
• Discuss the connection of social capital and mental health
• Describe lay view about mental health and social class
Question 4- Include additional reflection you believe to be significant.
Answer-
Hints-
• Read Chapter 5: Race, ethnicity, and mental health.
Come prepared to discuss:
1. Discuss the role of racism in the creation of mental health problems and the character of psychiatric services.
2. Think about how your background has influenced your own opinion about mental health and treatment.
3. What factors need to be considered when understanding the relationship between race and health?
Chapter 7: Ageing and older people.
Sociological Learnings in Practice
ANSWER
Reflection Plan
Name
Institution
Date of Submission
Personal Reflection
Sociological Learnings in Practice
The first is Psychiatry. Psychiatry is the study, diagnosis, and treatment of mental health diseases; it encompasses a variety of mood, behaviour, cognitive, and sensory discordances. Psychiatry, as medical science, may be assumed to be both a primary care and a speciality care subject. The roles in a medical context often extend beyond our typical practice within healthcare (Gabrielian, 2018). The second social learning applicable in my practice is psychology. The difference between psychiatry and psychology is that psychiatry deals with the more complex nature of mental aberrations that require treatments. Psychology focuses on the behavioural patterns that may lead to mental disorders. The aspects of clinical psychology were predominantly asserted as a behavioural theory suggesting that subjective experiences, i.e. maladaptive behaviours that were unacceptable required assessment. Because psychology is a contested discipline, psychologists must be aware of the continuity between normal and abnormal rather than the de-contextualized diagnoses preferred by biological psychiatry.
Personal View on Mental Health from a Sociological Perspective
There are a lot of preconceptions that overlap between the ordinary and basic clinical concepts of mental health and illnesses. The definition of Mental disorder develops when symptoms are modified and assumed by the social stigma attached to a stable and organised social role. I attribute mental health disorders to the behaviours that defy behaviours logically within an individual, neglecting issues related to stereotypes and associated with subjective experiences by individuals. Labelling is mostly determined by the patient’s symptoms rather than societal factors. The perspective emphasises a good chance for access to appropriate pharmaceutical and psychological therapies.
Labelling individuals with mental challenges has some advantages and disadvantages, i.e., The pros of labelling mental health can be associated as an umbrella word rather than explaining to relatives the specifics of your experiences. It is now easy to contact doctors and get information on specific illnesses. Labelling helps affected individuals see that they are not insane; rather than believing you are insane, the associative mental condition is considered the causative. The Cons associated with labelling is the stigma that individuals are predisposed to., A stigma is associated with mental health diagnoses that render a person unusual. Psychotherapists understand the rationale, causes, consequences, and optimal treatment strategies for a patient’s condition. Psychological exams and organised interviews can improve the accuracy of diagnostic criteria, but they can be costly and time-consuming.
According to primary healthcare consultation studies, South Asian people consult for somatic concerns more frequently than white or non-Asian patients. South Asian communities had greater rates and consultations for widespread musculoskeletal pain than white groups (Chamaki, 2020). This contrasts with help-seeking trends in which Pakistani and Bangladeshi women appear to be less likely than white women to use mental health services. The studies shape the preconception of mental health and illnesses in a global construct, i.e., Mental health, therefore, diagnosed subjective concerns such as pain or somatic behaviour, alleviating mental disorders by modifying patients’ subjective experience within the social environment.
Standout Session
The most important lesson for me was chapter 3, where I explored the aspects of social stratification and mental health. The components of social class and social income, poverty and health status, and other demographic expressions such as age and gender are all definitive proponents related to exploring mental health and illnesses. The relationship between social class and health status is a viable consideration in defining the scope of the issue., Individuals in lower-income places are associated with poor health outcomes because individuals in low-income regions are predisposed to numerous stressors that affect their achieving good health statuses. The lay view of mental health within societies is diverse within contexts of associating the behavioural norms and abnormalities. In ancient Rome and Athens, madness was described by two characteristics: aimless wandering and violence. In Laos, ‘mad’ persons are referred to as ‘baa,’ and locals regarded them as aggressive in 11% of the cases before their character changed (Rogers & Pilgrim, 2021). In France, families in the community care for people with mental health conditions rather than institutionalised. Laypeople naturally associate’ mental disease’ with psychotic behaviour and violent behaviour with mental disorder or illness. The most prevalent diagnosis in psychiatry is depression.
Relevant Additions
Racism can lead to brain alterations in cognitive-affective regions such as the prefrontal cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, amygdala, and thalamus. In reaction to social rejection, these areas become more active, and their activity is connected to self-reported levels of distress. Chronic racism exposure may be linked to hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis dysregulation which can harm body systems and lead to unfavourable physical effects such as cardiovascular disease and obesity (Schouler-Ocak et al., 2021). Regarding psychiatric services, racism is an abject factor which may restrict access to mental health interventions in communities predisposed to judice and systematic racism
My background has distinctly shaped my opinion on mental health and treatment. The stressors associated with my field of practice predispose me to experience various horrific subject experiences which may lead to mental disturbance. The scope of Psychotherapy is the best-associated treatment for mental illnesses. Mental health, in my opinion, is the best condition for a human to relate well to societal dynamics and reason nationally by significant stressors. Any association that may cause irrational thoughts, reactions and behaviours that exhibit clinical depression symptoms such as persistent sadness and loss of interest correlated to the health outcomes such as poor dietary habits, loss of appetite and other associations that may lead to self-harm.
Factors associated with understanding Race and health include income and social status. Individuals who are more financially advantaged have adequate access to healthcare services such as psychotherapy; at the same time, minorities, especially in low-income areas, are subject to systematic racism restricting access to numerous healthcare services. The social support system for minorities is also an empirical consideration., There is a prevalent underrepresentation of minorities across social contexts, which may predispose them to poor health outcomes. Other factors include gender, genetics and access to healthcare services which may influence the subjective experiences of minorities, predisposing them to health risks and mental illnesses.
References
Chamaki, F. (2020). Mental Health through Sociological Perspectives. Honors Social Science Inquiry (HNRS-110). Accessed from: http://dh-wordpress.ramapo.edu/SSI-2020/blog/2020/02/27/mental-health-through-sociological-perspectives/
Gabrielian, S. (2018). Reflections on Psychiatry in Supported Housing. Psychiatric Times. Accessed from: https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/reflections-psychiatry-supported-housing
Rogers, A and Pilgrim, D. (2021). A Sociology of Mental Health and Illnesses. Open University Press. McGraw-Hill.
Schouler-Ocak, M., Bhugra, D., Kastrup, M. C., Dom, G., Heinz, A., Küey, L., & Gorwood, P. (2021). Racism and mental health and the role of mental health professionals. European psychiatry: the journal of the Association of European Psychiatrists, 64(1), e42. Retrieved from: https://doi.org/10.1192/j.eurpsy.2021.2216
Sociological Learnings in Practice