Analyzing Mental Health: Social Impact and UK Policy Response

This report provides an overview of mental disability, focusing on the social experiences of individuals with mental health conditions in the UK. It begins by outlining the extent and nature of mental health problems, including demographic information, causative factors, socio-economic consequences, marginalization, stigmatization, and gender inequality. The report then details the social policy responses, such as legislation and programs, designed to address mental health conditions. It highlights the challenges faced by individuals with mental health disorders, including discrimination in employment and education, and discusses various government initiatives like the Disabled Persons Employment Act, Disability Discrimination Act, and the Equality Act. The report concludes that despite these efforts, mental health remains a significant burden, and further actions are needed to improve access to care, reduce discrimination, and promote mental well-being, particularly among children and young people. Desklib provides a platform to access more solved assignments and study resources.

Running head:Report on disability
Report on Mental disability

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Report on disability
Introduction
he term disability can be defined as the physical cognitive or developmental condition thatT ,
disrupts or impairs the ability of an individual to engage in certain activities and interactions
Mental health foundation Any kind of disability negatively affects or deteriorates the way of( . 2016).
living of an individual owever this paper would describe the e periences of the people with. H x
cognitive disability or mental health problem he fi rst part of the report would focus on the. T
e tent and the various natures of the mental health conditions including the demographicalx
information the causative factors of the illness the socio economic consequences marginalization, , , ,
stigmatization and gender inequality he second part of the report would give an account of the. T
social policy responses legislation and the programs to address the mental health condition in( )
patients.
As stated earlier the chosen group of this study is those with, mental health conditions.
Demographic information
n one out of si individual have mental health problem According to heI UK, x . T
Department of ealth and the Confederation of ritish ndustry of the employeesH B I , 15 % - 20 %
would e perience some kind of mental health condition at workplacex Mental health foundation( .
2016) he depression is the commonest among the various types of mental health disorder. T .
n mental health problems are the leading causes of the distress illness and theI UK ,
disability and hence carry a significant fi nancial burden According tothe researches the total. ,
mental health cost in ritain is about illion Mental health problems poses significantB £32B .

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Report on disability
demand on the ational health services S employers social services employers and theN (NH ), , ,
society as a whole Mental health foundation( . 2016). he lack Asian and the minority ethnicT B ,
AM communities are likely to face discrimination due to mental illness(B E) .
Consequences of mental disorder
 According to ational abor orce Survey only of the people suffering mentalUK N L F , 20 %
health problems have been found to be employed About one third of the people having.
mental disorders have shared that they have been compelled to resign from the job or
has been dismissed has admitted that they have been denied a job for a history of. 40%
psychiatric problem. of the people admit that they do not apply in fear that they60%
will be dealt with unfairly heat et al According to erthoud et al ritish(W ., 2010). B . (1993), B
workers with mental health disorders face a life of lower earnings . As per the evidences
provided by the quality and uman Rights Commission there is a stark differenceE H ,
between the earnings of those with mental health disorder and those who are not
( urchardtB 2000) eople with mental health problems earn only p for every pound. P 58
that their healthy contemporaries earn he pay gap may increase to pay gap. T 42% .
 eople with mental health illness are marginalized due to the discrimination faced byP
them Most of the people with mental illness are likely to be unemployed which. ,
contribute to their poor socio economic status ack of money also deprives them from- . L
nutritious food and sanitation and cleanliness that results in social e clusionx ( heat et alW .
2010).

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Report on disability
 ublic stigma is the response that that the general population give with people sufferingP
from mental health disorder Stigmatizing views related to mental illness is not confined to.
the ignorant members of the society ven the well trained e perts also hold. E x
stereotypes regarding mental illness (Corrigan and atsonW , 2002) ndividuals with. I
mental disorders are often faced with structural violence which refers to marginalization,
unjust distribution of the wealth and discriminated access to the basic human rights.
Structural violence is insidious for people with mental illness and makes these people
feel hopeless disempowered helpless and even guilty eople with mental disorder, , . P
face discrimination mainly in case of education employment and relationships According to, .
errieF et al individuals with mental health disorder are likely to get less education.(2008),
or in many cases no education as most of them are being institutionalized that focus on the,
weaknesses of these people rather than the strengths.
 here are evidences of racial discrimination that worsens the disparities in access toT
healthcare diagnosis and treatment of psychiatric illness Centuries of stigmatization, . ,
discrimination and unequal access to education and unemployment continue to be present
every aspect of physical and mental health.
Social policy response
he government has always been proactive for the people with mental health and has worked onT
several policies and strategies to improve the life of such individuals Since it is the people with.
mental health issues that face discrimination at workplace. he Disabled ersons mployment ActT P E
provided with a comprehensive structure for the employment of the disabled people he1944 . T

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Report on disability
disabled persons mployment ActE 1944 was not very effective as the resources for the
employments were limited ouse of Commons library Most of the employees were(H , 2017).
unaware of the rules and could not adhere to the legal guidelines ater on Disability. L
Discrimination Act DDA was passed DDA considers the types of discrimination like direct( ) ..
discrimination such as banning an employee with a mental health disorder disability related( ),
discriminated and harassment his law was replaced in the year by the quality Act in. T 2010 E
ales Scotland and ngland ouse of Commons libraryW , E (H , 2017).
n ctober the S ngland have published theI O 2014, NH E mproving access to mentalI
health services yb 2020 which propose a series of recommendations for ensuring proper mental,
and physical health services. he Health and ocial Care ctT S A 2012 was made in response to that
was designed to diagnose and treat both the physical and mental health issue n anuary. I J 2014,
Closing the Gap priorities for essential change in mental health: was published which emphasized,
on areas of change such as increasing the access to the mental health services integration of4 , ,
the physical and mental health care starting early for promoting mental wellbeing and prevent, ,
mental health problems. he Mental Health Crisis Care ConcordatT was published by the
Department of ealth and signatories in ebruary t contained an objective for ensuringH F 2014. I
that the mental health emergencies are treated with equal urgency as the physical health
related emergencies t focused mainly on four areas Access to support before the crisis point. I - ,
the quality of the treatment and care when in crisis provision to urgent emergency access in,
emergency condition. he equality act requires different organizations to make reasonableT (2010),
adjustments for the employers with mental disorders he different occupational departments set. T
by the government are able to provide support to the employees with mental health problem.

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Report on disability
n order to save the children from social e clusion the children fund was set up in toI x , 2000,
provide them with asylum education counseling thus creating pathways to inclusion, , , . heT
mployability Service est Cork is an intervention program initiated by the government toE W , U.K ,
support employment programs for those with mental health disorders .
he government of has also take initiatives in improving the health based places ofT UK
safety or e ample According to the Sections and of the Mental ealth Act a. F x , 135 136 H 1983,
person with a mental disorder can be detained or removed by the police to a place of safety,
unless the completion of an assessment ouse of Commons library ocus was also given(H , 2017). F
to the mental health and the criminal justice system nder the Mental health Act the. U 1983,
liaison services offer services to the prisoners with mental health disability or substance abuse
problem An e tra m of funding has been considered for the mental health nurses and the. x £25
professionals working in police stations and courts such that this vulnerable group can get the,
suitable treatment ( azel and SeewaldF , 2012) Recently the Scottish government has announced. ,
a ten years mental health strategy in order to improve the access to the service to people with,
mental health disorders he mental health strategy has identified seven key themes. T 2012-2015
such as working more effectively with the caregivers and the family increasing the support for the,
self management e tending the agenda for the anti stigmatization and discrimination emphasizing- , x - ,
on the rights for those with mental health illness Some of the other strategies and policies.
taken up by the government involved egional Mental Health Care Path ay ou in MindR w : Y ,
Mental Health cotland ill(S ) B (Mental health foundation. 2016).

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Report on disability
Conclusion
n spite of several strategies taken up by the government mental health problemI U. K ,
are still one of the main reason of the overall disease burden of nited ingdom Mental healthU K .
disorder causes marginalization of an individual due to low S S stigmatization unemployment andE , ,
racism he stigma regarding the mental disorder still persists in spite of the discrimination laws. T .
he health care committees require a robust task force to deliver a high quality of careT
addressing the discrimination in education and employment rate More focus has to be given on.
the children and young people s mental health including the actions like improving the access to’ ,
psychological rehabilitations for children.

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Report on disability
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