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Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
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| Mental health, social exclusion and social inclusion | | Author(s) | Jenny Secker |
| Journal title | Mental Health Review Journal, vol 14, no 4, December 2009 |
| Pages | pp 4-11 |
| Keywords | Mental health [elderly] ; Mental disorder ; Isolation ; Integration ; Participation. |
| Annotation | In the UK, the concept of social exclusion came into widespread use in mental health following the publication of an influential Social Exclusion Unit report in 2004. Based on a comparison of ways of defining social exclusion with the mental health literature, this article begins by outlining a social systems approach to understanding social exclusion. The approach is later used to examine the position of people with mental health needs in the UK. First, however, a common assumption that social inclusion constitutes the opposite of social exclusion is addressed, and an alternative way of thinking about the two concepts is put forward. A further assumption that social inclusion is self-evidently desirable is also critiqued from political and service user perspectives before drawing conclusions from the evidence reviewed. These concern a need for policy initiatives to focus on tackling the structural barriers that work to exclude people with mental health needs, as well as on challenging the deep-rooted prejudice and stigmatisation that reinforce those barriers. There is a also need to be mindful of the context in which inclusion policies are implemented, the assumptions that become implicit within these policies, and the possible consequences of their adoption as a moral imperative. (KJ/RH). |
| Accession Number | CPA-100811203 A |
| Classmark | D: E: TP: TO: TMB |
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing |
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| ...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing. |
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