7/29/2019 Social context of mental health

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A) How do you think that social context may have an influence on whether someone receives

this diagnosis? (250-600 words)

I must state that in my opinion one of the most important factor from the biopsychosocial

perspective, if not the most important is the environment. In addition, by environment I will include

everything that surrounds an individual because that is how I see it: family, friends, community, city,

country, and etcetera.

I live in Romania, a country not that well developed, especially in term of thinking. Even to this

date, it is believed by the majority that if you go to a psychologist you must be insane, not to mention

the psychiatrist. Because of this way of thinking, people are avoiding to seek help so their chance of

recovery is drastically minimized. Because of the stigma that may derive from seeking professional help,

many people do not choose to do so and even parents are ignoring the signs of a declining mental

health in their children, guided by the principle what will my neighbor think?

The one thing I am scared about is the depression among teenagers. I believe that is a

worldwide problem that leads to many victims because people do not take it seriously enough. If the

parents do not observe the signs or they ignore them thinking is not something serious or are afraid of

the social stigma I have mentioned, the consequences may be extreme. One other cause rather than

stigma that may lead the parents to ignore their childrens symptoms is the idea that he is behaving like

this because of his age, it is a phase, and it will pass. Dont you think it is better to be sure and check

with a specialist? Because I strongly believe it is. It is important to find out what is going on in your

childs life, because for them every little thing that for you is not important, to your teenagers may mean

the world.

The most common issue among young people is related to self-image. The stereotypes created

nowadays by the media about a certain type of beauty put a big pressure on the everyday teen. This

may lead to various types of eating disorders among teens, especially girls because of the desire to be

thin and consequently beautiful. This type of prejudice can easily turn into something dangerous. The

desire of being thinner and thinner may lead to severe loss of self-esteem that will eventually lead in

depression. For those reasons, parents should be actively involved in their childrens life and notice

every change in their behavior because there may be underlying problems that, if caught in time, may

prevent occurring consequences.

Another problem that we can find in Romania that prevents the population from getting a

diagnosis for their problems is an expensive health care that because of the poor economy does not

come accessible for everyone, so the people are not paying attention to their mental health because it

does not come as a priority.

In conclusion, although it is hard to put aside the preconceptions, I strongly believe that you

should weight in the positive and negative aspects of seeking specialized help in order to receive a

proper diagnosis for you or your children and eventually you will see the right path.