Chapter 10 Health Care Problems of Physical and Mental Illness

Health and Life Expectancy Health: state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being. –A social issue as well as a biological issue Life expectancy: estimate of the average lifetime of people born in a specific year Life expectancy varies by gender, race, social class and overall health © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Infant Mortality Number of deaths of infants under one year of age per 1,000 live births –Good indication of societies preventive medical care IMR higher in US than other high-income nations Rates vary significantly by race © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Disease Acute diseases –Illnesses that strike suddenly and cause incapacitation or death Chronic diseases –Long-term, develop gradually, or are present from birth (arthritis, diabetes, heart disease) –Caused by biological & environmental factors © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Disability A restricted or total lack of ability to perform certain activities as a result of: –Physical limitations/interplay of limitations, social responses, and the social environment –Today people survive with disability that would have died before –Longer life expectancy- more chronic disease © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

AIDS Crisis Number of cases is rising annually Males account for nearly ¾ of all cases Half of those infected are African American Higher rates for those age Treatment is complex and costly, currently no cure © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Mental Health Considered a social problem because it affects a large number of people Difficult to define and identify mental disorders –American Psychiatric Association’s (1994) –DSM-IV © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Race, Class, Gender and Mental Illness No significant differences in diagnosable mental illness between: –African Americans and whites –Racism does impact the psychological well- being of both African Americans and whites Social class is related to mental illness Gender differences in Mental Illness © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Health Care Crisis The Affordable Care Act Health Care Organization, Rising Costs, and Unequal Access Private Health Insurance –HMO –Managed care © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Health Care Crisis Public Health Insurance –Medicare –Medicaid The Uninsured –Race-ethnicity and age are important variables in examining the uninsured rate © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Race, Class, Gender and Healthcare Less preventive care/optimal management of chronic diseases received by: –People of color across class lines –Low-income whites Much Gender inequality in health care: –Most of doctors in U.S. are men today © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Race, Class, Gender and Healthcare –Women have been underrepresented in the medical profession –Medical training, practice, and research are male-centered –Women receive differential treatment for certain kinds of medical problems © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Explanations of Healthcare Problems Functionalist: –Illness is dysfunctional for society, keeps people from fulfilling their roles. –Problems in U.S. health care are due to macro-level changes e.g., high-tech medicine, over-specialization of doctors © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Explanations of Healthcare Problems Conflict: –Health problems are rooted in capitalism and in the medical-industrial complex –Race-, class-, and gender-based inequities cause health problems –Inequality in U.S. health care will be perpetuated by 3 things: © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Explanations of Healthcare Problems High health care costs due to advanced services and expensive medicine and technology Abuse of existing systems by health care professionals: –Overcharge, unnecessary services, services not received Aging population will put a strain on Medicare and Medicaid © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Explanations of Healthcare Problems Symbolic Interactionist –Communication problems between doctors and patients create problems –People need to become more involved in health care issues and reform –People who have information and resources could work on preventative care at home © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.