From a biological standpoint, men and women are defined purely based on the presence of a Y chromosome and certain bodily structures. Throughout history though, cultural and societal beliefs have cultivated an additional ever-changing definition on what it means to be male or female, which very much stretches beyond the biological perspective. This separate definition has led to the formation of gender roles that are essentially societal expectations for how a man or woman should behave. While there is little evidence supporting the notion that being born a particular sex puts one at greater risk of ill mental health, several studies have been conducted, concluding that gender roles have a much greater hand in one developing mental illness, …show more content…
In turn, these expectations lead to men and women handling stress and negative situations differently, and the development of mental illness typically stems from there, with some genders being more prone to certain disorders than the other (“Gender and women’s health”). For example, common mental disorders, such as depression and anxiety, are predominated by women, and are possibly brought on by socioeconomic disadvantage, income inequality, or a subordinate social rank. In comparison, males are more likely to be diagnosed with alcohol dependence and antisocial personality disorder, possibly due to pressure of being the prime provider for the family, or the expectation of internalizing any negative thoughts or emotions. However, not only are gender roles detrimental to mental health, they also have a negative effect on its diagnosis and treatment of men and women, further promoting the inequities. Gender bias has shown to be a strong factor in the treatment of psychological illnesses, and can often result in misdiagnoses. For example, according to the World Health Organization, even if both patients present identical symptoms, doctors are more likely to diagnose depression in a woman than a man (“Gender disparities in …show more content…
Similar to gender, on a biological basis, being born a particular race does not necessarily predisposition one for ill mental health. However, there are recorded trends of certain racial groups experiencing some specific psychological disorders more than others. For example, a report published by Toronto Public Health in 2013 examined rates of depression between racialized groups. The report found that Black individuals were at greater risk of depressive symptoms in comparison to the White individuals (Ansara et al., 2013). In addition, a separate study conducted in 2008 revealed that American Indians showed greater risk for post-traumatic stress disorder and alcohol dependence, but lower risk for major depression (McGuire et al., 2008). When examining possible reasons for certain racial groups to be a greater risk for particular mental disorders, similar to gender, it is important to examine unique social experiences that may be more attributable to certain racial groups. Social inequities, racial discrimination, poverty, and marginalization of racialized groups can have an eviscerating effect on these people. Despite these trends, the most important factor to be aware of is that racial and ethnic minorities have less access to mental health service, compared to Whites. As well, they are less likely to receive
The elimination of disparities in mental health care among ethnic, racial and underprivileged populations, specifically minorities remains a challenge amongst mental health care workers and medical professionals. Many minority areas are more impoverished, rely on government assistance and have a higher incidence of sexually transmitted diseases, chronic diseases, and injuries compare to any other ethnicity. In recent studies there are strategies to help eliminate disparities in mental health care, such as improving health care access, quality, offering diverse mental health workforce, providers, and patient education. These are just several strategies that can help assist in disparities. The goal is to reduce or eliminate racial, ethnic and socioeconomic health inequalities that affect minorities.
"African American Communities and Mental Health." Mental Health America. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 May 2014. .
...socially directed hormonal instructions which specify that females will want to have children and will therefore find themselves relatively helpless and dependent on males for support and protection. The schema claims that males are innately aggressive and competitive and therefore will dominate over females. The social hegemony of this ideology ensures that we are all raised to practice gender roles which will confirm this vision of the nature of the sexes. Fortunately, our training to gender roles is neither complete nor uniform. As a result, it is possible to point to multitudinous exceptions to, and variations on, these themes. Biological evidence is equivocal about the source of gender roles; psychological androgyny is a widely accepted concept. It seems most likely that gender roles are the result of systematic power imbalances based on gender discrimination.9
Three of the factors studied in the assigned article were positively correlated with the depression symptoms of the women. These symptoms were family conflict, perceived discrimination based on race or ethnicity, and economic insecurity. Other factors studied, including outward orientation of the family and residential mobility, were not very influential of depression in the women. Findings showed that perceived discrimination and economic insecurity were related, because women saw the perceived discrimination as being manifested from their low economic
Mental illness is an addition to all of the previously listed perceived disadvantages of Native Americans by those of other ethnicities. Many believe that Native Americans are at a higher risk for mental illness than those of European descent. Many also believe that Native Americans have more people suffer from depression than their white counterparts (Stark & Wilkins, American Indian Politics and the American Political System, 2011). There have been studies conducted to test whether or not this is the case, with mixed results. Some studies say that Natives are at a higher risk and others say they are not. This discrepancy makes the answer unclear. If Natives are actually at a higher risk for and have more people suffering from depression than individuals of European descent, the question to ask is, “why?” Several factors play into depression and other mental illness, including biology, social standing, history, family, and any preexisting/comorbid diseases that could contribute to or cause depression.
All minority groups experience discrimination which leads to increased levels of stress in those individuals. As the level of stress goes up, so does the risk for several health complications including those related to mental health. Wells, Klap, Koike, and Sherbourne (2001) conducted a study examining the disparities in mental health care among black, Hispanic, and white Americans. Of those Hispanics in the study (n=617), 16.6% of them had a probable mental disorder compared to 13.4% of whites (n=7,299). Hispanics also had a higher incidence of substance abuse problems with 9% of those surveyed meeting criteria compared to 7.6% of whites. Hispanics also had the least reported perceived need for treatment with 10.4% for mental health and only 1.3% for substance abuse. A clinician treating Antonio should keep in mind that he has a higher likelihood of having a mental illness or substance use disorder than a white client as well as the fact that if he does meet the criteria for either, that he probably does not believe he needs
Historically throughout the earliest centuries, the term gender and sex has been a vital focus in distinguishing the overlap between gender differences. Matlin’s book, Psychology of women, explains that gender similarities of females are at most similar to men, however, considering that culture influences individual’s beliefs; women are expected to behave the way culture entitles us to (Matlin, 2008, p.8). In contrast, the book also reveals that women and men are different from one another in terms of social and intellectual skills according to biological inheritance (Matlin, 2008, p.9). These two perspectives expose valid reasons in terms of the roles that men and women play in society. Even though feminists and female psychologists imply that both men and women are exactly the same, there is however, a strong statistical correlation related to the comparison of men and women according to different brain wiring, strength and endurance (York, n.d., para.10).
Williams, D. R., & Jackson, P. (2014, April 1). Health Affairs. Social Sources Of Racial Disparities In Health. Retrieved April 29, 2014, from http://content.healthaffairs.org/content/24/2/325.short
It has long been debated whether there is a difference between sex and gender, and if so, what that difference is. In recent years it has been suggested that sex is a purely biological term, and gender is socially constructed, or defined and enforced by society. Sex is assigned at birth based on the genitalia, and usually, gender is determined by the sex. If parents are told their baby is a girl, they will reinforce traditional female stereotypes for her whole life. Society and peers will also help to reinforce her gender as she begins to spend more time outside of her immediate family. In this way, gender is a process, whereas sex is simply a static characteristic based on one’s physical appearance. The more dynamic process of gendering, however, defines “man” and “woman,” teaches one to see and internalize what is expected from one’s gender, and to act according to those expectations (Lorber 2006).
In recent years racial disparities in health status have received increasing attention. The relationship between race, poverty, and health is complex. Something to consider is that people suffering from mental illness and members of minority racial populations are disproportionately concentrated in high-poverty areas.(Chun-Chung Chow) Disparities in health status in these areas are believed to reflect a lack of access to care because of an absence of insurance coverage, a tendency to attribute certain health concerns to religious and culturally sanctioned belief systems, and a shortage of culturally compatible health care providers. (Chun-Chung Chow) Because of the lesser access to medical treatments Blacks and Hispanics ...
Doyal, L (2000) Gender equity in health; debates and dilemmas, social science and medicine 51;6
Mental illnesses were also treated depending on the gender of the patient, this is because of the social views on the gender. For women, having a mental illness was “unladylike” and required “surgical intervention” (Dr. Eve Leeman). Occasionally, women were put through unnecessary procedures such as a clitoridectomy. The treatment of the mentally ill was also affected by the fact that some illnesses are more common in one gender compared to the opposite gender. For example, depression is the most common women’s mental health problem but it may be more common in women than men, and is present differentially in the two genders. Certain illnesses such as depression and anxiety affect women more than men in different settings. Reasons for the gender
In order to fully understand the roles of men and women, we must first determine the distinctions between sex and gender. According to Giddens, A. (2006), sex is a term used to refer to the anatomical and physiological differences that define male and female bodies. Gender, however, is comprised of the psychological, social and cultural differences between male and females. This is a vital distinction when exploring the various roles performed by men and women in
In psychology many different perspectives seek to explain the differences between males and females. In societies they play distinctive roles and are treated and viewed differently. They behave differently too. To compare and contrast the accounts of sex and gender we need to define the terms sex and gender. To examine further we need to examine the key aspects of the biological, evolutionary, social constructionist and psychoanalytical perspectives focusing on similarities and differences regarding their accounts of sex and gender. Finally need to consider the ways in which these perspectives compliment, conflict or simply co-exist with one another.
Gender and Sex are both terms used in our society frequently, however, misunderstood the most. Sex is typically characterized by the anatomical perspective while gender is characterized by behaviors. As this may be the general understanding of sex and gender as definitions, it is not the real deal. The real deal is that sex and gender go much farther than men, women, and hermaphrodites. The primary sex categories as of now are female, male, and thirty-three varieties of intersex. For gender, there are over 100 genders that are recognized today. (Powerpoint 1) In this essay I will be addressing different theories revolved around gender and sex and how they affect people in our society more negatively than positively.