SSC106 Assignment: Mental Health and Social Care in the UK

This report provides a comprehensive overview of mental health issues in the UK, focusing on policies, theories, and social care approaches. It begins by establishing the prevalence of mental illness within the UK population, highlighting the increasing severity of the problem and its disproportionate impact on women. The report then delves into current issues, such as the influence of social media, economic factors, and age-related neurological conditions, and their effects on mental well-being. It explores various theoretical frameworks for treating mental illness, including biomedical, psychological (psychoanalysis, behavioral, family, and eclectic therapies), and social approaches. Furthermore, the report examines relevant policies like the Madhouse Act and the shift towards community care, and how these policies have influenced the treatment and care of individuals with mental health conditions. The report references key statistics and studies from sources like NHS Digital, BBC News, and the World Health Organization to support its arguments.

Understanding Health and Social Care:
People with Mental Illness
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Table of Contents
Mental health issues – a general idea.........................................................................................3
Current issues.............................................................................................................................4
Theories pertaining to treatment of mental illness.....................................................................4
Biomedical approach..............................................................................................................4
Psychological approaches......................................................................................................5
Social approach......................................................................................................................6
Policies for treatment of mental illness......................................................................................6
References..................................................................................................................................8
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Mental health issues – A general idea
The mental health issues are faced by the individuals in the UK on a very common basis.
According to the NHS Digital statistics, one sixth of the population of UK which is aged
between 16 to 64 years is suffering from mental health problems. The severity of the mental
illness started to increase after 1990s and it kept on increasing since then (Mind, 2013). The
following graph represents the percentage of the population suffering from severe symptoms
of mental illness.
Source: (BBC News, 2018)
The statistics also suggest that mostly, the women in the UK are affected due to mental
illness as most of the women do not tend to report the problems related to mental illness in
the initial days. Social media, economic uncertainty, rising expectations of people from life
and influence of the media are a few reasons for the increasing severity of mental illness in
the population in UK.
The following report will give an account of mental illness among the people of UK and the
current issues faced by them or due to them. It will also give an account of the alignment of
the mental illness with the theories, policies and politics formulated in this space and
highlight the people (both youngsters and adults) who are currently admitted in the
institutions for mental care.
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Current issues
The researchers have been busy in carrying out the studies in the field and have developed
several theories related to it. The government of UK has also formulated a large number of
policies to help people recover from mental illness issues at home. But the issue is that most
of them are centred towards the treatment of the aged people with mental illness. The groups
of children and adults are not paid much attention in the development of policies and theories.
Poverty or low income forms a considerable reason for affecting people with mental illness at
home. As per the survey of NHS, people living in the lower income households are more
likely to get affected by the mental illness than those with high income households (27% of
men and 42% of women in the lowest income group compared to 15% of men and 25% of
women in the highest income group) (Reynolds, 2017). Other major issues pertaining to the
mental illness are the ones pertaining to the increased use of social media. The social media
has evolved the need for the people to showcase themselves as perfect individuals and when
they are incapable of doing so, they suffer from the mental health issues. Another issue with
the younger generation is related to their inefficiency to do well in their career. People in
their old ages suffer from mental illness due to the neurological conditions or decay of
neurons with growing age and improper diet (Reynolds, 2017).
Theories pertaining to treatment of mental illness
Biomedical approach
The biomedical approach of mental illness is based on the assumption that “illnesses are
caused by a specific disease” and the biomedical explanation for the cause of mental illness
includes neurological problems such as faults with neurotransmitters or brain damage;
genetics or substance misuse. There are symptoms indicating mental illness such as changes
in eating habits, lowered mood, changes in the sleeping patterns and such others. Since, the
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causes of mental illness are biomedical, the medications are the primary sources of treatment.
Antidepressants such as Prozae, leucotomy, psychiatry and psychosurgery are considered to
be the best treatments for this illness (Beckett, 2017).
Psychological approaches
Psychoanalysis: this approach of analysing the mental illness is based on Freud’s concepts of
dynamic unconscious, defence mechanisms, developmental approach, counter-transference
and transference. The major conditions which are treated by psychoanalysis include
depression, phobias, Self-destructive behaviour, Obsessive compulsive disorders and such
others. This analysis is based on the concept of conscious and unconscious mind of human
beings and is carried out by the psychoanalysts or psychiatrists who are capable of studying
the mental behaviour and processes (Yakeley, 2018).
Behavioural therapies: there are two major types of behavioural therapies which are used in
the improvement of mental condition of the patients. One is cognitive and the other is
dialectal behavioural therapy. The cognitive therapy helps the people with mental illness in
the identification and alteration of the inaccurate perceptions, which may impact them as well
as the people around them. It is provided to the people who suffer from anxiety disorders and
depression in collaboration with the treatment of the patients with antidepressant medication.
Dialectal behavioural therapy (DBT) is given to the patients who are at high risk at mental
illness. It helps in helping the patients to change the unhealthy behaviours such as self injury
and lying. DBT focuses on enhancing the life skills in patients using the methods such as
mindfulness, distress tolerance, interpersonal effectiveness and emotional regulation
(WebMD, 2005).
Family therapy (Systems approach): This therapy uses the help of the family members of
the patient to resolve the conflicts and improve communication with the patient suffering
from mental illness. It is usually aimed at resolving the relationships between the family
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members, children or the partners. Problems such as depression and anxiety can be resolved
using the therapy (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 2019).
Eclectic approach: This therapy adapts as per the unique needs of the clients depending on
their issue, goals for treatment, and the expectations of the patient from the treatment. An
eclectic therapist personalizes the therapy process and determines the combination of
treatments required to cure mental illness. The eclectic theory evaluates seven different
modes, such as behaviour, sensation, imagery affect, interpersonal relationships, client
biology, consideration of drugs and cognition, and finally the therapy is planned as per this
complete evaluation process (Psychology Today, 2019).
Social approach
The purely biomedical approaches for describing the mental illness have been criticised by
researchers for years. The social approach is based on the concept that the social factors are
responsible for the mental illness of the patient. This approach enables the practitioners for
promoting the recovery methods which are beyond the biomedical range of treatments. It
places the mental health in a broader social context and promotes the engagement of the
therapist not only with the patient but also with the society and the family members of the
patient. The recovery practices are based on social participation, positive risk-taking and
emancipatory values (Tew, 2011).
Policies for treatment of mental illness
The mental health slowly and steadily became a political issue and the government started
making several policies for improving their condition. Previously, the patients suffering with
mental illness were not given the rights equivalent to the normal people. The third way or
Socialism is the theoretical and political perspective, which aims at developing the ideas
towards the political and economic realities of globalization. It promotes the idea that all the
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people must maintain a balance between responsibilities and rights and the social justice. It
argued that the labour market must provide equal opportunities to the people including the
patients suffering from the mental health conditions. The new labour also focused on
increasing the level of government expenditure on the essential public services such as
helping the patients suffering from mental illness (World Helath Organization, 2010).
The UK government has been taking various measures for curing the mental illness. For this,
it has developed a number of policies which have been discussed below. The Madhouse Act
was formulated in 1774 and it was the first legislation which was passed by the UK
government in the nation. This act was focused on development of the madhouses or the
mental asylums in UK. The Act made it mandatory for all the Madhouses to be licensed by
the Committee of the Royal College of Physicians and had to be renewed every year. These
places were considered to be the centres for confined lunatics. It helped the government to
keep a track of the people who were mentally ill with the help of a central register. The
people admitted at these centres were checked by physicians on a regular basis and were
provided with required medical aid (Revolvy, 2019). The year 1961 saw a change in the
policy of the UK government of institutionalization of the mentally ill patients to de-
institutionalizing them so that they can be cured in the presence of community care. It was a
provision laid by the government to shift the mentally affected patients from institution to the
home or community settings where they can be cured in the presence of their loved ones. The
institutions separated the mentally ill patients with the community as if, they are not the part
of society and this opinion further ruined the condition of the patient. Thus, the social
reformers put pressure on government to allow the patients to interact with the community for
speedy and better recovery (Gibson, 2001). In 2010, the World Health organization made it
clear that the patients with the mental health conditions must be allowed to make decisions
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about their lives must get required care and treatment and be allowed to take part in the
public affairs if their condition is not very critical (World Helath Organization, 2010).
References
BBC News, 2018. Mental health: 10 charts on the scale of the problem. [Online] Available
at: https://www.bbc.com/news/health-41125009[Accessed 16 August 2019].
Beckett, J., 2017. Evaluating Some of the Approaches: Biomedical Versus Alternative
Perspectives in Understanding Mental Health. Journal Psychiatry Psychiatric Disorder, 1(2),
pp.103-07.
Gibson, D.M., 2001. De-institutionalisation: The move to community based care. [Online]
Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Diane_Gibson/publication/255716547_De-
institutionalisation_The_move_to_community_based_care/links/
0c9605205e4a209b14000000/De-institutionalisation-The-move-to-community-based-
care.pdf?origin=publication_detail [Accessed 16 August 2019].
Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 2019. Family therapy. [Online]
Available at: https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/family-therapy/about/pac-
20385237 [Accessed 16 August 2019].
Mind, 2013. Mental health facts and statistics. [Online] Available at:
https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/statistics-
and-facts-about-mental-health/how-common-are-mental-health-problems/#.XVZILt4zbow
[Accessed 16 August 2019].
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Psychology Today, 2019. Eclectic Therapy. [Online] Available at:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/therapy-types/eclectic-therapy [Accessed 16 August
2019].
Revolvy, 2019. Madhouses Act 1774. [Online] Available at:
https://www.revolvy.com/page/Madhouses-Act-1774 [Accessed 17 August 2019].
Reynolds, E., 2017. One in four people have been diagnosed with a mental illness. [Online]
Available at: https://www.wired.co.uk/article/mental-health-stats-uk [Accessed 16 August
2019].
Tew, J., 2011. Social Approaches to Mental Distress. Red Globe Press.
WebMD, 2005. Mental Health and Psychotherapy. [Online] Available at:
https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/mental-health-psychotherapy#1 [Accessed 17 August
2019].
World Helath Organization, 2010. Mental health and development: Targeting people with
mental health conditions as a vulnerable group. [Online] Available at:
https://www.who.int/mental_health/policy/mhtargeting/development_targeting_mh_summary
.pdf [Accessed 17 August 2019].
Yakeley, J., 2018. Psychoanalysis in modern mental health practice. The Lancet Psychaitry,
5(5), pp.443-50.
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