Contemporary Mental Health: History, Policy, Legislation, and Socioeconomic Factors

This report discusses the history, policy, legislation, and socioeconomic factors affecting contemporary mental health. It explores how mental health has transformed over the years and the impact of socioeconomic factors on mental health in the UK and worldwide.

CONTEMPORARY MENTAL
HEALTH

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................3
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................4
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................6

INTRODUCTION
Mental health refers to individual emotional, social and psychological well-being. It can
affect individual way of thinking, act and feeling. In this report, there is discussion about the
mental health, their history, analysis of national policy and mental health legislation within UK.
There is also discussion about the understanding of impact of socioeconomic factors that can
influence mental health in world and UK (Pathare et. al., (2018)).
MAIN BODY
Mental health was initially not taken in consideration which has difference negative
impact and was patient with mental health were treated as differently. They were not able to get
better treatment for their mental health related issues. Mental health has transform the last 70
years which changes from closer of the old Asylum to moving care into the community and
increase to the use of talking therapy. These all have used positive impact on patient with mental
illness. Society has been change from past many years which become more accepting to the
mental illness. They are getting support you to the people with her mental illness problem
(Barker et. al., (2019)).
There were high prevalence of mental health worldwide where one in seven people are
facing mental illness which create high negative impact on the society. There are large number of
population who may facing different mental or substance used disorder. This is about 15% of
people who are globally facing mental illness. United Kingdom have about one in four people
who are experience in mental health related problem every year where one in six people are
reported about experience high common mental health related issue like depression and anxiety.
Previously, mental health are not taken in consideration and does not having proper
treatment and medication to improve those health. But in present time, it has been observed that
there are various therapy has been discovered that can helpful to deliver better care and support
to the people with mental illness. There are talking therapy which are highly effective and can
influence and divisible to improve their quality of life (Van Daele et. al., (2020))(.
There are some policy and legislation for mental health disorder which includes the
Mental Health Act 1983 which is the law within England which has been updated in 2007. This
is the law which refers that people who are facing mental health related problem should have
their rights for assessment and proper treatment within hospital. This also allowed to get

treatment in the community where there should not be any type of discrimination to provide
better mental health treatment. Mental health act 1983, it has been designed to provide power to
mental health professionals that can detain and treat individual with mental health is order in
interest of their health safety and public safety. This can have high impact on large number of
population where people will mental health better treatment and care and ensure about proper
safety towards them and other Soomro et. al., (2019)).
National mental health policy refers to as tendency for a strengthening system capacity
which can help to create a continuum support for improving better health care support to the
patient with mental illness. It also include health and social services infrastructure that can be
helpful to address mental health equatably. National mental health policy includes the promotion
of recovery from mental health related problem and illness. It also assure rights of people to
participate meaningfully in the society (Agnew-Blais et. al., (2018)).
There are various social economic factor which are highly effective and can high impact
on world mental health. This can have potential to influence it where economic factor includes
unemployment, poverty, low income and poor housing. It also includes gender, religion, peer
networks and race. These are highly effective and every individual are facing mental illness. It
can have impacted either due to their financial status, economic condition and family strength.
There can be discrimination of the basis of race, gender, religion and many more. When they are
not able to get a proper access to the health care service and get proper treatment to improve their
mental health-related issues. This socioeconomic factor and highly effective and then influence
individual to not get proper healthcare treatment which may have various consequences and
quality of life. There are high prevalence of impact of socioeconomic factor where poverty,
education have impact to influence better health care treatment. UK is also affected from
socioeconomic factor, it can allowed to get over through it and every individual have equal
access to health care services (James et. al., (2019)).
CONCLUSION
From above discussion, it can conclude that there is high impact of mental health which
includes the way which can help to determine about handling of stress and making choices. This
can have high impact on society and individual quality of life. There are various legislation and
policy are made related with mental health that can help and support people to improve their
health and lifestyle. There is discussion about policy and legislation of mental health disorder.

There is also discussion about impact of socioeconomic factor which have impact on mental
health within worldwide and UK.

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Agnew-Blais, J. C., Polanczyk, G. V., Danese, A., Wertz, J., Moffitt, T. E., & Arseneault, L.
(2018). Young adult mental health and functional outcomes among individuals with
remitted, persistent and late-onset ADHD. The British journal of psychiatry, 213(3),
526-534.
Barker, J., Smith Byrne, K., Doherty, A., Foster, C., Rahimi, K., Ramakrishnan, R., ... & Dwyer,
T. (2019). Physical activity of UK adults with chronic disease: cross-sectional analysis
of accelerometer-measured physical activity in 96 706 UK Biobank
participants. International Journal of Epidemiology, 48(4), 1167-1174.
James, P., Iyer, A., & Webb, T. L. (2019). The impact of post‐migration stressors on refugees’
emotional distress and health: A longitudinal analysis. European journal of social
psychology, 49(7), 1359-1367.
Pathare, S., Brazinova, A., & Levav, I. (2018). Care gap: a comprehensive measure to quantify
unmet needs in mental health. Epidemiology and psychiatric sciences, 27(5), 463-467.
Soomro, S., & Yanos, P. T. (2019). Predictors of mental health stigma among police officers: the
role of trauma and PTSD. Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology, 34(2), 175-183.
Van Daele, T., Karekla, M., Kassianos, A. P., Compare, A., Haddouk, L., Salgado, J., ... & De
Witte, N. A. (2020). Recommendations for policy and practice of telepsychotherapy and
e-mental health in Europe and beyond. Journal of Psychotherapy Integration, 30(2),
160.