The Fundamental Causes Theory: Analysis

Throughout this class we have talked about how various disparities can influence both how and when you need health care, be it for physical or mental reasons. Basically if you aren’t a middle class and above white male with a good job you’re basically fucked. Things such as race, gender, education, the environment you grew up in, who you know, and of course your insurance and income play a huge role in how you experience all aspects of healthcare. As explained in the Link&Phelan article, certain social factors can cuase specific health results. As explained in the article the Fundamental Causes Theory “claims that new mechanisms arise because persons of higher socioeconomic status are able to deploy wide range of resources- including knowledge, money power, prestige, and beneficial social connections- that can be used individually and collectively in different places and at different times to avoid disease and death.” What this means is basically those who are better off are more suited and have more chances to combat sickness and to elongate their lives. One of

In the film we watched in class The Medicated Child we saw several children who had been diagnosed with various psychiatric illnesses and were placed on various, often a large number of different, medications that effect their brain, mood a lot of other things. One of the doctors in the film even admitted it was a guessing game. In my opinion until your brain is done developing you shouldn’t be trying to change it. The only reason the kids had access to psychiatrist and could be placed on all the drugs were because their parents, or parents’ insurance could pay for it. As we learned in the article by Busfield the pharmaceutical companies are in it to make money if they couldn’t afford the doctors or the pills I personally think at least two thirds of those kids would have been better