Social Effects

What makes us connected as a society? We share the space we live in, a culture. We pay taxes and benefit from the systems that support us, like public healthcare, education, and the justice and welfare systems. This article will discuss mental health's impact and the social effects on all of these structures.

• First, we will introduce social effects psychology and examine how mental health relates to society.
• Then, we will specify the social effects meaning.
• Next, we will look at the types of social effects of mental health.
• We'll also provide clear examples of the social effects of mental health, including its impact on the economy, health care and crime rates.
• Finally, we will consider a list of social impacts and how companies can promote well-being and mental health.

Society has become increasingly interconnected, causing the impact of mental health to affect many, freepik.com.

Social effects psychology

Mental health is inherently related to our functioning in society. According to the World Health Organisation, contributing to one's community is a crucial feature of good mental health (WHO, 2004).

Who defined mental health as:

Social effects and mental well-being

Psychological problems can make individuals struggle with everyday tasks, which makes it more difficult for them to stay in employment or education, and their contribution to society decreases. These cause the individual to likely be and feel excluded from society. At the same time, we see a greater need for support from public services among people with psychological difficulties.

This becomes a reason for concern for society, especially when we realise how prevalent psychological difficulties are. Research conducted by McManus and colleagues (2016) found that:

• Each week in England, 1 in 6 people meets the criteria for a common mental health disorder.

• And 1 in 30 adults meets the criteria for drug dependence.

Based on this information, we can see that mental illnesses impact society and improving mental well-being should be prioritised.

Social effects meaning

Mental illness doesn't only affect the people who are experiencing it but also the institutions they are a part of, public services and the economy.

Moreover, the portrayal of mental illness affects the attitudes of other members of society and may contribute to stigma and prejudice in society. Stigma is the negative connotation surrounding mental illness, which they may have learned from unreliable sources such as movies and can lead to both prejudice and discrimination.

These can lead to further exclusion of people with mental illnesses.

Types of social effects of mental health

Let's break the concept of social effects down by considering how psychological problems influence our economy, healthcare, and crime rates.

Examples of social effects: the economy

It is estimated that worldwide, the cost of psychological problems will approach six trillion by 2030 (The Lancet Global Health, 2020). The estimate includes both direct costs of mental illnesses (the cost of healthcare) and indirect costs, including productivity losses created by people's inability to work.

In the UK alone, psychological problems cost our economy £118 billion a year, excluding the costs associated with dementia, intellectual disabilities, substance misuse, self-harm or suicide (McDaid et al., 2022). Contrary to what you might expect, social care, primary care and health care cost only make up around 14% of the total cost, while most of it is due to productivity losses and informal care.

Psychological difficulties affect not only the people who experience them but also their families, especially children who often take on the role of an informal carer. There are around 17,000 young carers in the UK. Research finds that young carers are at a higher risk of developing psychological problems and are likely to achieve lower academic attainment (Wong, 2017).

Both common mental health disorders and severe mental illness can leave people in need of financial support in the form of benefits. Depression is currently the third leading cause of disability in the UK, with millions of depressed individuals relying on benefits and public housing or struggling to maintain employment.

Research has found that mental health has a negative impact on the economy, freepik.com.

Examples of social effects: healthcare

Psychological difficulties also contribute to increased health and social care costs by creating a high demand for the services. Yet, services in many countries remain underfunded, especially compared to the spending on physical health.

Insufficient preventative interventions and inaccessible treatment options can further exacerbate mental health difficulties. Due to the limited capacity of services, waiting times for mental health treatment can reach up to nine months in the UK.

People experiencing mental health problems are also more likely to suffer from physical illnesses, use emergency care or be detained at an inpatient unit, causing higher mortality rates in the psychiatric population. It is estimated that the life expectancy of people with mental illness is, on average, 10 to 20 years shorter.

Examples of social effects: increased crime rates

There is also an association between psychological difficulties and increased crime rates. It's a common misconception that mentally ill people are dangerous and potentially violent, especially in the case of people with psychosis, who are often associated with the stigma as a threat to society.

It's important to remember that mental illness does not make people violent, however, for people with severe mental illness who abuse substances, the risk of violence increases.

We also see a much higher prevalence of psychiatric disorders within the prison population. The most prevalent disorders, found in almost a third of offenders, are neurotic and affective disorders (e.g., depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder). Around a quarter of offenders qualify for a personality disorder, and a quarter meets the criteria for a substance use disorder (Rebbapragada et al., 2021).

The increasing awareness of mental health difficulties and the associated stigma has also influenced government legislation. In 2010 the Equality Act was introduced to protect people with mental illness from unfair treatment in education, employment, public services or as a customer.

Research has found a high prevalence of mental illnesses in convicts, freepik.com.

List of social impacts

Social impact refers to how companies can affect communities and the environment. With so many social issues and inequalities present, more and more businesses have decided to introduce practices to address them.

Social impacts are often related to the United Nation's 17 sustainable development goals, two of which directly relate to mental health, such as Reduced Inequality and Good Health and Well-being, and many more can influence it indirectly (e.g., No Poverty and Decent Work and Economic Growth).