Search results for ‘Subject term:"mental health problems"’ Sort:
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Breaking the cycle of injustice
- Authors:
- MYERS Fiona, McCOLLAM Allyson, WHITEHOUSE Amy
- Journal article citation:
- Mental Health Today, March 2006, pp.23-26.
- Publisher:
- Pavilion
- Place of publication:
- Hove
One of the objectives of current social policy in Scotland is to ‘close the opportunity gap’. This article reviews current research to show how social injustice – in the form of poverty, deprivation, discrimination and inequality – not only negatively affect mental health and well-being but also hinder recovery from mental illness. The article concludes by looking at the Scottish Executive’s equalities strategy which aims to uncouple these links both by mainstreaming mental health improvement goals in policies and practices aimed at achieving social justice and equality, and by mainstreaming equalities goals within mental health policies and practices.
Out of the picture: CAB evidence on mental health and social exclusion
- Authors:
- CULLEN Lesley, et al
- Publisher:
- Citizens Advice Bureau
- Publication year:
- 2004
- Pagination:
- 100p.
- Place of publication:
- London
Based on evidence from over 350 Citizens Advice Bureaux and some of the 100 specialist CAB mental health projects around the country, this publication catalogues the social exclusion and lack of support that blights the daily lives of the seven million people in the UK with mental health problemt. Only 18% are in work - the lowest employment rate of all disabled groups. Most have to rely on benefit income, making them some of the poorest people in the UK. But they are up against a benefits system that takes no account of their needs or the difficulties they face in managing their everyday affairs when they are unwell. Unsympathetic treatment by some Medical Service doctors and a system that focuses on physical symptoms and disabilities means that many mentally ill people fail to get the benefits to which they are entitled. Constant reassessment of claims can result in significant breaks in income and almost inevitable debt, exacerbating mental health problems. Many who believed they were protected from loss of income by insurance cover find themselves left high and dry by insurance companies who refuse to pay out on claims involving mental illness, and those who want to take out policies are sometimes excluded. People with mental health problems are also particularly vulnerable to high- pressure sales methods and offers of easy credit that can very quickly lead to unmanageable debt. Too often creditors respond with heavy-handed debt collection tactics instead of offering fair and sympathetic treatment.Those experiencing mental illness are likely to be trapped in poverty for longer periods than most, and persistent low incomes make it more difficult to take part in activities that might help reduce their isolation, further compounding their mental health problems. Lack of support with basic tasks such as claiming benefits and paying bills can lead to a downward spiral into poverty and social exclusion, on top of having to deal with the stigma of mental illness.
Poverty and mental health: the work of the FOCUS on mental health consortium
- Author:
- LAWTON-SMITH Simon
- Journal article citation:
- Mental Health Review, 6(3), September 2001, pp.17-20.
- Publisher:
- Pier Professional
FOCUS on Mental Health is a UK consortium, founded in 1993, which comprises some 25 representatives of leading UK groups with an interest in mental health. Its overall aim is: to help create a positive climate of opinion towards mental health; to stimulate communication and collaboration between groups working in mental health; to co-ordinate events involving member organisations which are beyond the organisational capacity of individual members of the group; to organise and advise on concrete initiatives, aimed at promoting and improving the image of mental health. Discusses their work and achievements.
Meeting the mental health needs of older women: taking social inequality into account
- Authors:
- MILNE Alisoun, WILLIAMS Jennie
- Journal article citation:
- Ageing and Society, 20(6), November 2000, pp.699-723.
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
Whilst there is increasing acceptance that social inequalities have implications for mental health, there is minimal acknowledgement of their effects on the development and treatment of mental ill health in older people. This article focuses on older women, as they are the majority sufferers of mental illness in later life, and are particularly vulnerable to the cumulative effects of lifelong and age-related inequalities. Draws on literature from the fields of gerontology and mental health and argues that for effective care to be developed, older women's mental ill health needs to be seen within the context of their past and present experience of social inequalities. Evidence particularly relates to socio-economic disadvantages as well as to the consequences of discrimination. Argues that psychological vulnerability is further compounded by the gendered effects of social policy, and by care system which constructs mental health needs as unrelated to oppression, and dislocated from their economic, social and historical roots. Finally outlines the key components of care and service system which takes account of social inequalities, and which accords centrality to the experiences, views and women opinions of older women with mental health problems.
Statement on children's rights in Northern Ireland 2
- Author:
- NORTHERN IRELAND COMMISSIONER FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE
- Publisher:
- Northern Ireland Commissioner for Children and Young People
- Publication year:
- 2020
- Pagination:
- 115
- Place of publication:
- Belfast
This second statement reviews the state of children’s rights in Northern Ireland in relation to implementing the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). It includes reflection on each of the nine Northern Ireland Commissioner for Children and Young People (NICCY) priorities; these are prefaced with the relevant UNCRC Articles, the UN Committee’s Concluding Observations, followed by the current context in respect of children’s rights, followed by NICCY’s calls to Government. and the nine Northern Ireland Commissioner for Children and Young People (NICCY) priorities. The priorities covered include: educational inequalities, mental health, child poverty, safeguarding, youth justice, UK withdrawal from EU ‘Brexit’, legacy of the conflict, participation, and challenging discrimination. (Edited publisher abstract)
Mental health policy and practice across Europe
- Editors:
- KNAPP Martin, et al, (eds.)
- Publisher:
- Open University Press
- Publication year:
- 2007
- Pagination:
- 452p.
- Place of publication:
- Maidenhead
In much of Europe, it remains taboo to discuss the challenges that poor mental health raises for governments, societies and particularly for people with mental health problems themselves. This book maps the current state of policy, service provision and funding for mental health care across Europe, taking into account the differing historical contexts that have shaped both the development and delivery of services. A holistic approach is adopted that aims to assess the influence on mental health of environmental factors such as housing, poverty, employment, social justice and displacement. This title examines the legal rights of people with mental health problems; addresses the impact of stigma, social exclusion and discrimination; reviews the role of users and their families in the development of mental health services and policy; reflects on approaches to reform and on the future development of services; evaluates opportunities for the rehabilitation of people with mental health problems; discusses the financing and organisation of mental health systems; and, reflects on approaches to reform and the future development of services.
Attitudes towards disabled staff and the effect of the National Minimum wage: a Delphi survey of employers and disability employment advisors
- Authors:
- SCHNEIDER Justine, DUTTON Jillian
- Journal article citation:
- Disability and Society, 17(3), May 2002, pp.283-306.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
Reports on a Delphi study on a drawing on the expertise of a national sample of 100 employers of disabled people, and a similar number of Disability Employment Advisors (DEAs). It presents their existing attitudes towards disabled employees before analysing the effect of the NMW on these views. Differences between employers and DEAs were found in relation to the perceived costs and obstacles to employers of taking or retaining disabled staff, the problems presented by specific disabilities and the motivation shown by disabled staff. There was general agreement that the NMW has benefited disabled people by making low paid jobs better paid. Some disabled employees appear to have been adversely affected by the interaction of the interaction of the NMW with the Supported Placement Scheme (SPS, now Workstep) and the benefits system. Concludes that understanding employers' perspectives may facilitate the promotion of work opportunities for disabled people.
Inequalities in mental health
- Authors:
- HENDERSON Claire, THORNICROFT Graham, GLOVER Gyles
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Psychiatry, 173, August 1998, pp.105-109.
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
Aims to summarise the relevant research on rate of psychiatric morbidity within the general population, and define specific populations at high risk of mental disorder. The theories put forward to account for these inequalities are considered, noting the limitations of the data they are based on and highlighting their implications for the data required to facilitate further research. Inequalities in access, provision and appropriateness of services are also discussed. Makes policy recommendations for reducing these inequalities at national, regional and district levels.
Aftercare of black ethnic minority people discharge from psychiatric hospitals: findings
- Author:
- JOSEPH ROWNTREE FOUNDATION
- Publisher:
- Joseph Rowntree Foundation
- Publication year:
- 1994
- Pagination:
- 4p.
- Place of publication:
- York
Black ethnic minority people discharged from psychiatric hospitals and their carers are inadequately catered for by aftercare services; their housing needs though pressing are also often hidden, according to a new study. The survey of 101 discharged people, conducted by a team from the School of Sociology and Social Policy of Leeds University, found many poorly prepared for return to the community, with widespread experience of poverty, unemployment, racial harassment and social isolation.