Mental Health Causes and Treatment:

Where the Three Sociological Perspectives Stand

Regina Caldwell 608

Amando Chavez 613

Sherlie Arauz 539

Whitney McBride 354

Ashley Bwewa 679

Ben Stein 871

Vann Faison 737

University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Sociology
Cushing

4/04/2017

Mental health issues in individuals are often directly stimulated or remedied due to

environmental conditions. Sociologists study individual and group interactions to solve problems

within society using three theories. Mental health issues can sometimes cause a break in the
Mental Health Causes and Treatment:
Where the Three Sociological Perspectives Stand 1

Structural Functionalist Theory due to peoples inability to function in society. Structural

Functionalists theorize that society works as a whole to promote stability. This stability would

be fractured by these mental health issues of which are derivatives of different environmental

stimulus. Symbolic Interactionism would progress as an endlessly affected theory. The daily

interaction and symbolic gestures would be inhibited due to certain mental health issues. The

Conflict Theory would be validated considering peoples inability to compete for resources due

to the debilitating nature of certain mental health issues. While each of these theories apply, the

cause and remedy of mental health issues remain important. In some cases, the environment

someone is in will trigger the mental health issue. In other cases, individuals trigger mental

health issues within other individuals. And in yet a juxtaposed instance, people and technology

can help to remedy the mental health issues (Keirns, et al., 2015).

Sometimes, mental health issues are induced from an outside source. A sensitive case in

which this situation exists is in an article concerning sexual assaults titled, Sexual Assault

Survivors Experiences with Mental Health. Education, frequency, income and relationship all

were pertinent factors to the resulting mental health issues of which were externally projected

upon the individual. In this case, over half of the victims do have a college education or more. A

high percentage of the polled population had experienced continuous sexual assault; nine women

out of the fifteen had been sexually assaulted more than one time. Income seems to be directly

related in that ten out of the fifteen women had incomes of $20,000 or less annually. Familiarity

with the aggressor seemed to be mandatory for most of these sexually assaulted victims had

known the person before they were sexually assaulted. These underlying factors led to

depression and PTSD along with other disorders (Starzynski, Ullman & Vasquez, 2016). These

are not contested mental health diseases, which are illnesses that are questioned or considered
Mental Health Causes and Treatment:
Where the Three Sociological Perspectives Stand 2

questionable by some medical professionals (Keirns, et al., 2015). PTSD can lead to mental and

physical reactions and can sometime interfere with individuals not originally involved.

Another situation in which mental health issues are triggered from one individual upon

another is with police brutality during arrest. In an article titled, The Effect of Police Use of

Force on Mental Health Problems of Prisoners police brutality was linked to suicidal behavior

and disruptive behaviors. There were also reportings of PTSD experienced from police brutality

during arrest (Meade, Steiner & Klahm IV, 2017). The Conflict Theory is heavily weighted when

considering the long term effects due to police brutality and the victim's ability to function in

society (Keirns, et al., 2015). The Conflict Theory is a macro-level theory, which identifies

how different aspects of society are intertwined (Keirns, et al., 2015). Disruptive behaviors

lead to more social conflict and cause disturbances, all the while the ability to function with such

mental illnesses mentioned above would prevent ability to compete for resources.

Mental health issues are not always caused by the interference of someone else. In some

situations, the mental health issues are inherited and occur singularly based off of different

factors such as environment and stigma. In the article titled, Anxiety Disorders in Rural Primary

Care discusses the prevalence of anxiety in patients residing within primary care units. Anxiety

disorders can include obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), panic disorders, posttraumatic

stress disorder (PTSD), and both social and specific phobias (Keirns, et al., 2015). The results

of their study link anxiety disorder directly to location; specifically a rural locale. They found

that a high percentage, nearly 50%, living within a primary care unit in a rural setting had

anxiety disorder. That's in comparison to 1-8.7% of the national population of which is diagnosed

with anxiety disorder. In another situation, social stigma was the reason for mental health issues

(Marks, Wegelin, Bourgeois & Perkins, 2010).

Mental Health Causes and Treatment:
Where the Three Sociological Perspectives Stand 3

In an article titled, College Student Stress and Mental Health: Examination of Stigmatic

Views on Mental Health Counseling, the researchers wanted to find out students stigmatic

views toward mental health counseling, how their stigmatic views affected their willingness to

use the counseling services, and if their coping methods predicted their willingness to use the

services. Researchers used medical sociology, to understand how humans manage issues of

health and illness, disease and disorders, and health care for both the sick and the healthy

(Keirns, et al., 2015). The results found were not highly comparable to the hypothesis; women

were more likely to seek counseling services, and stress was the resultant for likeliness to use

these services. Social stigmatization or one being discriminated against due to illness or

disability was, however, a driving force in likeliness to seek counseling (Keirns, et al., 2015).

Most participants preferred to speak with a friend due to embarrassment of seeking professional

help.

In opposition to the causes of mental health disorders lies a method of remediation of

which is intertwined with the three sociological perspectives. Teenagers go through a lot of

changes while growing up, that can sometimes lead to depression. Researchers formulated the

hypothesis that music has a positive relationship when working with teeenagers who have

depression. In the article, A Critical Interpretive Synthesis of the Literature Linking Music and

Adolescent Mental Health, the researchers found that boy and girl teenagers use music for

different reasons. Girls tend to use music to cope with avoidance or disengagement while boys

use music to cope with their emotions (Mcferran, Garrido & Saarikallio, 2016).

Outside of a coping strategy, the method of which music is used also has psychological

correlation. The three main ways music influenced these teenagers were through Music

Preference, Music Listening, and Music Making. Kids who listen to heavier music like Metal,
Mental Health Causes and Treatment:
Where the Three Sociological Perspectives Stand 4

Rock, and Rap, show a higher level of being uncomfortable in social situations. Researchers used

an interpretive framework to better understand the topic and correlation. Writing music has a

correlation with social skills due to the tendency for this to occur as a group activity.

Remediation through different frameworks is essential in keeping a functioning society. In this

perspective, structural functionalists would support rehabilitation through music (Mcferran,

Garrido & Saarikallio, 2016).

All three of the sociological perspectives are aptly applied to the topic of mental health.

In fact, it is almost impossible to imagine the base ideology of which serves as a foundation for

mental health without applying all three perspectives. The definition of mental health is the

psychological well-being and satisfactory adjustment to society and to the ordinary demands of

life (Mental Health). The basis for this is one that depends on psychological health and

contempt at meeting lifes demands. In some of the more extreme mental illnesses, the three

sociological perspectives are called into question. Psychological health is pertinent when

considering a Structural Functionalists premise; individuals with mental illness would not

function to standard in society. These disorders have a deeply rooted affect on physical and

mental action; muddying a Symbolic Interactionists premise by making social inferences

difficult. Not being capable of meeting demands in life would affect a Conflict Theorists

premise by making one incapable of competing for resources.

Mental Health Causes and Treatment:
Where the Three Sociological Perspectives Stand 5

References

Holland, D., & Wheeler, H. (2016, October 01). College Student Stress and Mental

Health: Examination of Stigmatic Views on Mental Health Counseling. Retrieved March

30, 2017, from https://www.questia.com/library/journal/1P3-4241684431/college-

student-stress-and-mental-health-examination

Keirns, N. J., Strayer, E., Griffiths, H., Cody-Rydzewski, S., Scaramuzzo, G., Sadler,

T., . . . Jones, F. (2015). Introduction to Sociology 2e. Houston, TX: OpenStax College,

Rice University.
Mental Health Causes and Treatment:
Where the Three Sociological Perspectives Stand 6

Marks, Shayna L., Jacob A. Wegelin, James A. Bourgeois, and James Perkins. "Anxiety

Disorders in Rural Primary Care: Use of the MINI to Estimate Prevalence in Clinic

Patients." Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved 21.2 (2010): 680-90.

Web. 12 Feb. 2017.

Mcferran, K. S., Garrido, S., & Saarikallio, S. (2016). A Critical Interpretive Synthesis of

the Literature Linking Music and Adolescent Mental Health. Youth & Society, 48(4), 521-

538. doi:10.1177/0044118x13501343

Meade, B., Steiner, B., & Klahm, C. F. (2015). The effect of police use of force on mental

health problems of prisoners. Policing and Society. DOI:

10.1080/10439463.2015.1049602

Mental health. (n.d.). Retrieved April 02, 2017, from

http://www.dictionary.com/browse/mental-health

Starzynski, L. L., Ullman, S. E., & Vasquez, A. L. (2016, October 3). Women & Therapy.

Retrieved March 28, 2017, from

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02703149.2016.1213609

Website Link: https://sarauz.wixsite.com/healthteam9

Mental Health Causes and Treatment:
Where the Three Sociological Perspectives Stand 7