According to The United Nations agency Habitat, "there are approximately one billion people living in slums globally". They further say that although only 6% of people in developed countries live in these areas, about 78.2% of people living in less developed countries suffer from slum conditions. That amounts to "one third of the global urban population" (Owusu et al. 180). The UN-Habitat has given us some very accurate information in order for us to have a better understanding about the seriousness of the topic at hand. With such a huge number of people living in slum environments, it is neccessary to address whatever problems exist in these areas. However, issues concerning the physical conditions of slums often get more attention compared
…show more content…
It seems that the stereotypical thinking that "slums are undesirable" is very widely shared among the people. Parkar et al., a group of experts in the field of psychiatry and epidemiology, state that, "Outsiders commonly have low regard for slums, considering them to be dirty, dangerous places where uneducated, criminal, and alcoholic people reside" (292). And these "outsiders", or non-slum residents, are not entirely wrong. Although the authors also mention that they are more than just "hotbeds of problems", because the cities rely on their manpower for a majority of labor jobs (292), there is no doubt that slums contain a lot of throbbing issues which can 't be ignored. As the subject of slums is a very controversial and complicated one, this paper is going to concentrate solely on the mental aspect of it. Little attention is given to slum residents’ mental health. There are many factors which lead to mental instability, in which the most vulnerable victims are women and children. The consequences of such state are very dangerous and require immediate attention from the general public and the …show more content…
Restricted in a small living space, surrounded by a large amount of people who have different morals and personalities while suffering from unsanitary conditions can 't be described as an ideal way of living. Based on their expertise in the field of sociology, Anakwenze and Zuberi state that a neighborhood in which the people have to deal with bad social behaviors such as theft or drug use often causes negative effects regarding physical and mental health (148). In addition, In "The 21st Century Health Challenge of Slums and Cities", Sclar et al., a group of prefessors who are funded to conduct the research, also believe that all the key features of the urban slum, such as overcrowding, housing conditions, and sanitation problems, are the stressors that have direct effects on the "physical and psychological well-being" of these slum dwellers (901). A poor physical health will result in a poor mental state. Sclar et al. emphasize that tuberculosis, acute respiratory, and meningitis are dangerous communicable diseases that are a threat to the poor populations due to the overcrowding aspect of slums (901). In some of the scholarly articles, the authors often refer a crowded city over a vacated one, as it is the proof of an active community which has a lot of interactions. But in this case, overcrowding doesn 't seem to be considered a positive aspect of slum
It seems that the stereotypical thinking that "slums are undesirable" is very widely shared among the people. Parkar et al., a group of experts in the field of psychiatry and epidemiology, state that, "Outsiders commonly have low regard for slums, considering them to be dirty, dangerous places where uneducated, criminal, and alcoholic people reside" (292). And these "outsiders", or non-slum residents, are not entirely wrong. Although the authors also mention that they are more than just "hotbeds of problems", because the cities rely on their manpower for a majority of labor jobs (292), there is no doubt that slums contain a lot of throbbing issues which can 't be ignored. As the subject of slums is a very controversial and complicated one, this paper is going to concentrate solely on the mental aspect of it. Little attention is given to slum residents’ mental health. There are many factors which lead to mental instability, in which the most vulnerable victims are women and children. The consequences of such state are very dangerous and require immediate attention from the general public and the …show more content…
Restricted in a small living space, surrounded by a large amount of people who have different morals and personalities while suffering from unsanitary conditions can 't be described as an ideal way of living. Based on their expertise in the field of sociology, Anakwenze and Zuberi state that a neighborhood in which the people have to deal with bad social behaviors such as theft or drug use often causes negative effects regarding physical and mental health (148). In addition, In "The 21st Century Health Challenge of Slums and Cities", Sclar et al., a group of prefessors who are funded to conduct the research, also believe that all the key features of the urban slum, such as overcrowding, housing conditions, and sanitation problems, are the stressors that have direct effects on the "physical and psychological well-being" of these slum dwellers (901). A poor physical health will result in a poor mental state. Sclar et al. emphasize that tuberculosis, acute respiratory, and meningitis are dangerous communicable diseases that are a threat to the poor populations due to the overcrowding aspect of slums (901). In some of the scholarly articles, the authors often refer a crowded city over a vacated one, as it is the proof of an active community which has a lot of interactions. But in this case, overcrowding doesn 't seem to be considered a positive aspect of slum