Chapter 18 Health, Health Care, and Disability Health in Global Perspective Health Care in the United States Sociological Perspectives on Health and Medicine Mental Illness Disability Health Care in the Future

Health, Health Care, and Disability Health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being. Health care is any activity intended to improve health. Disability is a reduced ability to perform tasks one would normally do at a given stage of life.

Paying for Medical Care The U.S. and Union of South Africa are the only developed nations without universal health coverage for all citizens. About 1/3 of U.S. citizens are without health insurance.

The U.S. Health Care System Health Maintenance Organizations - provide total care with an emphasis on prevention. Managed care - monitors and controls health care providers' decisions, insurance company has the right to refuse to pay for treatment.

Implications of Advanced Medical Technology Create options that alter human relationships. (prolonging life after consciousness is lost) Increase the cost of medical care. Raise questions about the very nature of life. (invitro fertilization, cloning, stem cell research)

Functionalist: The Sick Role 1. The sick are not responsible for their condition. 2. The sick are temporarily exempt from their normal role obligations. 3. The sick must want to get well. 4. The sick must seek help from a medical professional to hasten their recovery.

Conflict Theory: Inequalities in Health Care Problems in the U.S. health care system are rooted in the capitalist economy. Access to high quality medical care is linked to people’s ability to pay and their position within the class structure. Race, class and gender influence access to health care.

Symbolic Interactionist Perspective Focus on the meanings that social actors give their illness or diseases and how these affect people’s self-concept and relationship with others. “Health” and “illness” are socially constructed.

Mental Illness Mental disorder that requires extensive treatment with medicine, psychotherapy and sometimes, hospitalization. Severe mental illness affects less than 15% of U.S. adults at some time in the lives.

Disability Estimated 48 million people in the U.S. have one or more physical or mental disabilities. Less than 15% of persons with a disability are born with it. Accidents, disease, and war account for most disabilities in this country.

Increase in Number of Disabled People who would have died from accident or illness now survive, although with an impairment. People live longer and are more likely to experience disabling diseases. Persons born with severe disabilities are likely to survive.

Living With a Disability Strategies: Avoidance - deny condition to maintain hopeful images of the future and elude depression. Vigilance - actively seek knowledge and treatment so they can respond to the changes in their bodies.