All aspects of health and illness have come to be understood as social phenomena, and are thus inexorably tied to the organization of society and the social factors that contribute to the outcomes of day-to-day life for all. The following essay is going to critically assess the correlation between themes of health inequalities and race with ethnicity and mental health.
Despite significant research, there does not seem to be a biological connection between ethnicity and mental illness, however there are staggering statistics that show there is a correlation between the two. This issue has prevailed across North America, in Europe and beyond, as globalization and other factors have people and information moving faster and further than ever before. …show more content…
With social exclusion being defined as the “persistent relative lack of an individual's access to functioning compared with other members of society,” all four dimensions can have significant impacts on health and illness of the communities facing them (Bossert et al, 2007). First, exclusion from adequate income or resources is the dimension that has the most surface level connection to health, as not having the resources to access necessities like food and shelter have such undeniable detrimental impacts on health. Second is labour market exclusion, and with 43% of adults having no paid work, they are at a higher risk of experiencing stressors that impact their health (Gordon et al, 1999). Exclusion from the labour market in a market-based economy can lead to feelings of uselessness and hopelessness, which can impact not only one’s physical wellbeing but mental health as well (Linn, 1985). Third is service exclusion applies to heath for both people facing poverty related and geographically based health inequalities. Inability to access service needs such as power and clean water brings up the difference between collective and individual exclusion. The PSE shows that individual exclusion in the form of unaffordability is a significant issue, though collective exclusion and non-availability of the resources is a more widespread problem impacting a larger group of people (Gordon et al, 1999). Groups most significantly impacted include rural communities, who can be paying a high premium for often-unreliable services. Lastly is the exclusion from social relations, as many people facing deprivation do not have the means or time to immerse themselves in social activities and civil participation and isolation is proven to be detrimental to health (Pantazis et al
Despite significant research, there does not seem to be a biological connection between ethnicity and mental illness, however there are staggering statistics that show there is a correlation between the two. This issue has prevailed across North America, in Europe and beyond, as globalization and other factors have people and information moving faster and further than ever before. …show more content…
With social exclusion being defined as the “persistent relative lack of an individual's access to functioning compared with other members of society,” all four dimensions can have significant impacts on health and illness of the communities facing them (Bossert et al, 2007). First, exclusion from adequate income or resources is the dimension that has the most surface level connection to health, as not having the resources to access necessities like food and shelter have such undeniable detrimental impacts on health. Second is labour market exclusion, and with 43% of adults having no paid work, they are at a higher risk of experiencing stressors that impact their health (Gordon et al, 1999). Exclusion from the labour market in a market-based economy can lead to feelings of uselessness and hopelessness, which can impact not only one’s physical wellbeing but mental health as well (Linn, 1985). Third is service exclusion applies to heath for both people facing poverty related and geographically based health inequalities. Inability to access service needs such as power and clean water brings up the difference between collective and individual exclusion. The PSE shows that individual exclusion in the form of unaffordability is a significant issue, though collective exclusion and non-availability of the resources is a more widespread problem impacting a larger group of people (Gordon et al, 1999). Groups most significantly impacted include rural communities, who can be paying a high premium for often-unreliable services. Lastly is the exclusion from social relations, as many people facing deprivation do not have the means or time to immerse themselves in social activities and civil participation and isolation is proven to be detrimental to health (Pantazis et al