Understand+the+book,+not+just+the+cover+-+mental+health


 * Name:** Danika Mason
 * Student** **Number**: N8325154
 * Tutor:** Michelle Newcomb

// "Nothing defines the quality of life in a community more clearly than people who regard themselves, or whom the consensus chooses to regard, as mentally unwell." //  ** - Renata Adle ** **__ Cultural Artefact __** (Eastaugh & Sternal-Johnson, 2010) Prison Photography by Jenn Ackerman is one of many pictures from project ‘trapped’. It comes from an investigation into American prisons, which concluded that there are inadequate facilities for people suffering from mental illnesses. Although there are numerous programs, facilities and help services available for people suffering from mental illness, currently jails are housing a larger volume of mentally ill people than all other programmes combined (Eastaugh & Sternal-Johnson, 2010). This picture raises the question of whether people are being treated in the correct manner, and also combines the distortion of ‘criminals’ in jails.

**__Public Health Issue__** Mental Illness is a major Public Health issue (Singh, 2004, p. 1090) amongst almost every community. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (2008, para. 1) a staggering “1 in 5 people aged 16 - 85 in Australia suffer from some form of mental illness”. Over recent years there has been a substantial lift in Government and media involvement to raise awareness of the importance of mental health to the public. Through establishing policies and programmes, enabling resources and data to be readily available via phone, online or television, people have a supportive network surrounding them, bringing light to an issue that is otherwise generally not talked about. The World Health Organisation estimates that every three seconds one suicide attempt has been made, and every minute someone will successfully complete a suicide attempt (World Health Organisation, 2007). These rates are astonishing and bring to heart the severity and reality of this issue, making suicide a leading international health goal. In today’s society we are brought up to believe in our own identity, follow what we believe and not just blend in with the crowd. However, this is questionable as it’s our individuality that can sometime lead us to social isolation. Mental illness is not only a major issue amongst communities but to many people’s surprise it is also a growing issue throughout prisons around the world. This essay aspires to reflect on mental illness and suicide to identify what areas are working well and which are not. To fully understand the issue surrounding mental illness, specifically suicide, various elements including socio-cultural and socio-economic factors, psychiatric conditions, biology, genetics and social stress as well as age, gender, relationship status, childhood experiences and geographic location will be analysed. Combinations of different contributing factors will also be questioned to identify high-risk groups. An epidemiological study will also be illustrated to identify potentially modifiable factors that are associated with increased or decreased risk of suicide occurrence. A social and cultural analysis will be performed to link similarities of contributing factors to theories, philosophers and previous research. Finally, a personal reflection will be completed to understand and reflect on the original stimulus and to take a point of view on the topic.

**__ Literature Review __** // Noun // In today’s society money is everything. It defines where we live, what we have and what we want. The National Survey of Mental Health and wellbeing conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics found that suicide has been strongly linked to socio-economic status through the daily stressor of finding money for food, housing and education - all the essentials of life (Page, A., Taylor, R., Wayne, H., Gregory, C, 2009, p. 473). Studies have also backed this up by concluding that the level of income per capita in a region, economic deprivation and social fragmentation of an area are all elements strongly associated with suicide rates (Mäki and Blomgren, 2004, p. 325).
 * Suicide ** : su-i-cide
 * 1) The deliberate taking of one’s life
 * 2) Recognised to be due to other than natural causes
 * 3) Established by coronial enquiry that the death resulted from a deliberate act of the deceased with the intention of ending his or her own life (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2007).
 * __ Socio cultural & Socio economic factors __**

There are three main assumptions that can be made that relate suicide directly to socio cultural and socio economic factors. Firstly, individual social disadvantage in socially degraded areas poses a great risk on people for a higher rate of suicide. For people who have experienced living in two different areas in life, they may gravitate to a synergist spiral of hardship. Secondly, socially disadvantaged people who live in a socially advantaged area may be protected from suicide. This is due to these areas being socio-economically better, affording the individual numerous job opportunities, material and social infrastructure and social cohesion. The third hypothesis is related to people who are ‘well off’ socio economically as they are expected not to be greatly affected by the area in which they live. Compared to a person who is not so financially capable, these people have the money to renovate and build themselves a life that exempts them from their surroundings (Mäki and Blomgren, 2004, p. 326). Therefore we can assume that to lower suicide rates in regard to socio-economic and socio-cultural factors, people must find themselves the right area to live in. It is important to have those social connections with the community; so employment and cleanliness – in specific public areas, beaches and even shopping centres are all important. However, in saying this we must be realistic and realise that this won’t be the norm in most countries where not even fresh water is available. According to a study conducted by the ABS in 2005, the median age for men committing suicide was 41.4 years and women 44.1 years. Fig 1 below shows the highest rate of suicide was in men between 30 – 34 years of age and the lowest from the 15 – 19 age group. Similarly, women had the highest suicide rate just above men at 35 – 39 year olds and lowest group the same as the men’s group at 15 – 19 years ( Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2007).
 * __ Age & gender __**

Suicide rates vary substantially from country to country which is due to different cultures, beliefs and living standards. Cultural and religious attitudes towards self-harm or suicide are a definite factor that influences an individual’s belief to what is seen as right or wrong. In some countries people devote their lives to their religion or higher power. This can sometimes go as far as suicide bombings, which in some religions is seen as an act of heroism. Unemployment, alcohol and drug misuse are other elements that in some countries are highly disregarded more than others. Gun ownership is a great example of an influential factor that’s only legal in some countries, creating more prevalence for suicide by firearm or riffle to occur there (Gunnell, 2000, p. 22). Alike, a country with large bridges or buildings creates an open opportunity for people to harm themselves in that form**.** Low socio-economic countries such as third world countries also have higher suicide rates. This could be due to the low living standard, and high rate of infectious disease (Patton et al., 2009, p. 884). In the past 45 years suicide rates have increased by 60%, both males and females in all age groups (World Health Organisation, 2011). Television, movie stars, job pressures and money are all factors that have changed dramatically over the past 45 years. The pressure on young men and women to succeed and be accomplished can all get too overwhelming and expectations can be set to high leading them to possible failure. Many years ago, men were seen as the financial supporters for the family, nowadays women are encouraged to support themselves and be more independent leading to pressure on each gender to succeed in life.

Social connectedness is crucial for people to be able to interact, communicate and socialize on a regular basis. Family, friends, and work colleagues are all part of an individual’s social life. A study concluded that there was a high-risk of suicide for people who only completed a basic level of education and people employed in blue-collar occupations (Mäki and Blomgren, 2004, p. 325). This could be due to the individual not feeling as though they have accomplished as much as they’ve wanted to. Furthermore, if their social group is working in more successful occupations than themselves, this can reduce confidence substantially and possibly lead the individual out of activities due to finances.
 * __ Relationship Status and Social Status __**

Marital status is directly related to suicide, as a study showed that suicide rates were higher in various ages and genders, in particular those who were widowed amongst both sexes. The data concluded that 1 in 400 single men aged 20 – 25 years, will die each year from suicide. This figure was then compared to married men whose results concluded 1 in 9,000 would commit suicide in any given year (Luoma & Pearson, 2002, p. 1519). It seems that the security and loving relationship that is involved with marriage gives the individual companionship in the relationship, which is crucial for life. Single mothers have also been placed in the high-risk category for suicide amongst certain socio-economic situations (Mäki and Blomgren, 2004, p. 326).

Interestingly, divorced and separated persons – both male and female, are more than twice as likely to commit suicide as a married person. Marital status has been found to play a strong role in suicide rates, but only amongst men (Kposowa, 2000, p258.). There is no current evidence to say that women’s marital status and suicide are directly related.

**__ Social and Cultural Analysis __** Mental illness is now one of the fastest developing health problems around the world. Suicidal tendencies can lead to a very isolated and insular existence that can result from any of the above factors. The question still remains unsolved as to why some people are more susceptible to having suicidal thoughts than others. Should your friends, media or even geographic location be blamed or is it really just the person going crazy? Emile Durkheim’s Socialisation theory was concerned with how societies could maintain their integrity in the modern day era - an ever-changing world, including shared religious and ethnic backgrounds. He sought to discover the part of society, which kept everything balanced, and in order and to find the role, which each individual played in this society. This could soon be known as functionalism. Durkheim’s theory argued that social facts overruled, and had a greater independent existence than the actions of the individuals that composed society. The world is perceived as “objectively real”, it can be observed and seen using methods such as interviews and surveys. Equilibrium of this society can be achieved and maintained through socialisation, values and norms. Where non-conformity and socialisation are not present, social control mechanisms are used to segregate the non-conforming individuals from the rest of society. This could be anywhere from gossip in schools to extremes such as prisons or even mental institutions. Individualism and Collectivism should also be noted here, as they are important in relation to the sociology of Emile Durkheim’s theory. A recent study from Sri Lanka, states that a conflict between collectivism and individualism is a major contributing factor to the rising suicide rates (Singh, 2004, p. 1090). Individualism is known as the importance of the individual – virtues of self-reliance and personal dependence (Dictionary.com, 2011), whilst collectivism can be identified by a system or ownership, by state or people (Dictionary.com, 2011). This therefore draws the conclusion of the ongoing conflicts between government, society and individuals. Communication needs to be upheld, to ensure the views of society are being listened to. In the past mental illness was not seen as important, however the trends have changed with mental health being one of the priority public health areas. The general health and wellbeing of people around the world is of the utmost importance to support and retain our economies future. The Queensland Government in May of 2011, announced that it would be contributing a further $1.5 billion to the mental health package. This money is aimed to directly support those with mental illnesses so that they may receive the care, advice and medical assistance when required (Australian Government, 2011)**.** This will add to a total of 2.2 billion over 5 years. It’s important that the children of this, and future generations, are brought up in a supportive, healthy and open society where they feel safe and happy.

**__ Analysis of Cultural Artefact __** Prison photography brought to life the isolation and disconnectedness that one feels when dealing with mental illness. Not only does the person disconnect themselves from social circles, including friends, colleagues and family they also remove themselves from society. The everyday struggle to eat, sleep and even talk to people becomes more and more challenging.

To me, the photograph depicts how people currently treat mentally ill people. As a society we treat people differently, alienate them and attach a social stigma to their situation. In a sense we’re judging a book by its cover. Let’s start with the room – it‘s small, empty and colourless, the dark colours in the picture represent despair, hopelessness and even torment. The man is young; he’s got his whole life ahead of him, but instead he is in the isolated mental institution. His facial expressions represent his sadness, grief and even helplessness. The most interesting part about this photograph is the anonymous hand that the man is holding onto – it has a glove on – in a way implying that he is unclean, or diseased. This man has a name, a childhood, dreams and ambitions but as soon as the opening door is shut, he’s isolated, alone and easily forgotten. media type="youtube" key="UeU0B2ZfOEg?version=3" height="344" width="614" align="center"

[] With programmes such as Beyond Blue (Beyond Blue, 2011), The Mental Illness Fellowship (Mental illness Fellowship in Australia, 2011)**,** Kids Help Line and other initiatives people in our community now have the opportunity to research, understand and seek help.

// In the time its taken you to read this page, 400 people have attempted to commit suicide and 20 of those people have been successful. Be the change that the world needs and do your part to accept people with mental illness. //

**__ Reflections __**


 * __COMMENT 1__**


 * //Title://** //Great work!//
 * //‘Seriously, R U OK?’//**
 * By:** Glenn Donaldson

I’d like to start with commending you on your tremendous effort on your wiki. Your analysis, supporting evidence and overall detail to literature was terrific. I really liked your artefact, as it brought meaning and depth to such simple words. Your statistics were mind blowing; they brought to life the reality of this issue and how common mental illness really is amongst our society. I found it interesting to read about the variables across age, gender, race and culture and how your own lifestyle can affect your mental health. Your analysis of the history of mental health was an area that I found very interesting and stimulating to read. Through Government funding, future programmes and advertising, I too hope that mental health in Australia will become a well-known issue that people can speak freely about without fear of judgement.


 * __COMMENT 2__**


 * //Title://** //Fabulous Wiki//
 * //Doctors and Patients – Are We From Different Planets?//**
 * By:** Lucinda Appleton

A well-written wiki, that was very interesting to read. I loved the title, very catchy! A great choice of topic as everyone has been a patient in a doctor’s surgery at least once in their life, which makes this so easy to relate to. I found your literature review very interesting in regards to previously doctors having power over patients. It’s great to see that now, due to recent technology booms and feminism, the tables have turned so that female doctors and patients now too, have a higher standing in the doctor-patient relationship. Your evidence and studies truly brought to life the reality and seriousness of this issue in our society today. The technical language, which many of us know too well as ‘jargon’, is a major factor that is continually increasing the gap between doctors and patients. I strongly agree with your statement that society and culture play a significantly strong role in doctor-patient relationships. Lastly I’d like to acknowledge the great artefact that you have chosen and the obvious relationship between the doctors, who are portrayed in the cartoon as scary aliens, and the patient who has no idea what is happening. This accurately portrays how many patients feel.

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