Name: Ayesha Kamal

Enrollment: 05-171181-018
Class: 6A
Submitted To: Ma’am Sana
Course: Social Problems

Mental Health as a Social Problem

Mental illness i.e. lack of mental stability and mental health is often the result of the various
social problems individuals go through. Due to this it is not considered a problem just in itself
but also major social problem. By studying sociological perspective, it has become reasonable to
consider mental health a social issue, as mental illness has social origins.

The social origins may include; social class, race and ethnicity, gender, and level of poverty. It is
quite obvious that the people who belong to low social class and the ones who lie under the
poverty range have higher chances of developing mental illness. A cyclic relationship can be
seen between mental illness and poverty. It is very crucial to understand the racial aspect of
mental illness, as usually the racial minorities suffer more from mental illness. Due to the role of
women in society, they also face more burden and struggle with their mental health on almost
every stage of their life. Moreover, decline in mental health affects economy as well, as the costs
are very high, whether it be due to reduce in productivity or the money spent on caring for the
individual struggling and suffering due to mental health issues. All this proves that mental health
is a social problem. Through the social model of heath, it has become much easier to accept
mental health as a social problem. Mental health is not just a health phenomenon, but it is also a
social and psychological phenomenon, as it has a directly proportional relationship. Besides this
phenomenon, it also worrisome for a person to be going through it, as every individual has an
effect on the society one way or the other. Today’s world is a highly industrialized society,
which is why each individual’s input is counted in the totality of the society. The struggles that
are associated with mental health illnesses, such as; disability, morbidity, and mortality does not
only create hurdles for individuals and their families, they also create a major societal burden.
Hence, this implies that mental health should be seen as a social problem. Mental illness is as
real and challenging as any other health issue. Majority of the individuals who suffer from
mental health issues just need a sense of being worthy, close relationships, and something
productive to do; what interests them and helps them have a routine.

Such individuals face an increase in their difficulties as the social stigma attached to mental
health creates a discriminatory mindset and attitude towards them, this worsens their experience.
Thus, mental health is a social problem.