Theme 5

• Mental health


  Definition according to the World Health Organization (WHO)
• Sociocultural factors


  • Can influence the definition and perception of mental health and illness
• Stress


  A social construct and its impact on mental well-being
• Exposure to social stressors (e.g., poverty, discrimination, etc.)


  Can lead to mental health challenges
• Mental health services available

  • In Namibia
  • In your country of origin (for the non-Namibian students)
• Sociological factors


  • Impact mental health service provision and access
  • Consider how stigma, policies, and social values shape who receives mental healthcare and the types of care provided
• Stigma surrounding mental illness


  Can lead to social exclusion (e.g., employment, relationships, self-concept)
• Campaigns, policies, etc. that aim to

  • Reduce mental health stigma and promote inclusion
• Good diet and adequate food supply


  Central for promoting health and wellbeing
• Shortage of food or lack in variety

  Can cause malnutrition and deficiency-related diseases
• Excess intake of the same type of food

  Contributes to cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancer, degenerative eye diseases, obesity and dental cavities/tooth decay
• Access to good, affordable food makes more difference to what people eat than health education
• The main dietary difference between different social classes is the source of nutrients
• The foods available to economically disadvantaged society has a high fat intake (satisfies hunger) but offers little nutrition, and they substitute cheaper processed foods for fresh food
• Individuals living on low incomes (young families, elderly people and the unemployed), are least able to eat well
• Dietary goals to prevent chronic diseases emphasize eating more fresh fruits and vegetables, Legumes and less processed starchy foods, animal fat, refined sugars and salt
• Social and economic conditions result in a social gradient in diet quality that contributes to health inequalities
• Substance abuse encompasses different forms of addiction


  • Abuse of food
  • Pain tablets
  • Sex
  • Pornography
  • Shopping
  • Gambling
  • Work
  • Exercise
• Substance-dependent individuals


  Have an 'aching emptiness' and constantly seek something outside themselves in order to "curb an insatiable yearning for relief, comfort or fulfilment"
• Trauma is the underlying cause of addictions
• Addiction is not in the genes, but an outcome of social experiences and relationships
• The dependent individual has to recognise that the addiction is only a consequence, and worsening substance abuse is often misinterpreted as a moral weakness of the individual/society/group of people
• Addiction worsens the inequalities in health, it is therefore crucial to understand the social roots of addictions and be able to comprehend underlying social causes
• Individuals with substance dependency often suffer from lung or heart disease, stroke, cancer, or mental health conditions
• Imaging scans, chest X-rays, and blood tests can show the damaging effects of long-term substance abuse throughout the body
• Because trauma is a psychology injury and is not a disorder or a disease, you want to prioritise your treatment
• Media plays a central role in people's lives
• When it comes to aspects of health, media can be a rich source of valuable, relevant and useful information
• How media influences health

  • Allow for health issues to be discussed on public and policy agendas
  • Provoke debates on ethical practices in healthcare and medicine
  • Convey factual information and advice on health matters
  • Promote and challenge stereotypes of certain illness/disease (i.e., mental health conditions)
  • Cultivate an understanding of health/illness and support ideas about what constitutes appropriate health-promoting behaviours
  • Play a key part in short-term 'health scares'
• Information sharing through media is however not straightforward, for instance: There is a difference between what people know and what they do/apply, and social issues are often more widely broadcasted than health messages
• The impact of information being conveyed vary depending on how much the public (audience) trusts the source
• Different people may respond to the same message quite differently depending on their context and social factors
• Healthcare providers can be flooded with enquiries after a health 'scare' or news about a 'miracle cure' of a disease
• As inter-healthcare providers, that you don't assume to know or predict how patients will make sense of health-related information
• Labelling and stigma


  Negative evaluations made by individuals or groups about others
• Negative labels are frequently applied by the public to people with particular diseases
• Healthcare/medical providers act as important labellers in much of what they do
• Medical diagnoses are important biological or medical labels that however carry social effects for the labelled person
• When the social significance of the label carries a strongly negative connotation, this is referred to as stigma
• Discreditable stigma


  Stigma that is not known by many people - only by the person with the stigmatising condition and by a few close friends/family members