Social Dimension of Mental Illness

Social Dimension of Mental Illness M N Palsane THE incidence of mental illness along with deviance on other personal and social levels has been known to increase during periods of industrialisation and rapid social change. This has been more manifest in the West, may be due to reasons such as early and rapid social change, greater consciousness about the conditions in question, and better documentation of the statistical information. Depression is one of the most prevalent psychopathological conditions and is characterised by psychological debility, anxiety, feelings of helplessness and hopelessness. The origin of this condition lies in adverse conditions of life, some in the immediate, and some in the remote, past. Coupled with adverse conditions of life are the perceptions of the individual about his own ability to deal with such conditions and about the resources he can mobilise from his circumstances in dealing with them.