Effects of Mental Health Problems on Society (AQA GCSE Psychology)

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The increase in the diagnosis of mental health problems leads to a need for more Social care such as:
- a demand for healthcare, including mental health services, e.g. the NHS
- social housing for people whose mental health problems prevent them from working/working regularly
- benefit payments to cover costs of housing, food, transport, medication
Social care can provide a lifeline for people who are unable to fully support themselves for a range of reasons, mental health problems being one of those reasons
Human beings are social animals so it makes sense that those in need or who are vulnerable because of mental health problems should be cared for

People with mental health problems may abuse alcohol/drugs as a way of self-medicating (relieving their pain and distress), which can become problematic
The abuse of alcohol or drugs may result in violent and anti-social behaviour when mixed with mental health problems, increasing crime rates
Poor mental health may also lead to social isolation which could in turn lead to increased crime rates as isolated people have no one to check and notice their behaviour
There are, however, misconceptions about mentally ill people and their propensity to violence:

Many people believe that crime is strongly linked to mental illness when in fact, only 3%-5% of violent acts are committed by individuals living with a serious mental illness such as schizophrenia
People with a mental illness are more likely to be the victims of crime than the perpetrators

There are several ways in which a society high in mental health problems impacts the economy:

Higher demands on services like health and social care
Increased costs and therefore slower economic growth: more health professionals means more cost in terms of salaries
Unemployment brings an increased demand on the benefits system and, a lower productive workforce:

Days absent from work due to mental health problems means lower productivity, increased costs finding temporary cover for the absent worker, more stress on existing staff

Therapies such as CBT are expensive whereas drug therapy is cheap which in turn has implications for both the economy and for what patients are likely to be prescribed
An ageing population means that future care for dementia sufferers is a foregone conclusion which is extremely costly

Here is an example of a question you might be asked on this topic - for AO1.

AO1: You need to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of key concepts, ideas, theories and research.

Question: Suggest one social effect of mental health problems on society. [2]

Model answer:

As mental health problems increase they bring with them more demand for mental health/NHS services.
Mental health problems tend to be expensive to treat (particularly CBT) which means that the economy will be impacted significantly.

to absolutely everything:

the (exam) results speak for themselves:

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