Mental Illness: Social Dimension, is it Being Systematically Ignored?

Abstract

For nearly half a century, the predominant focus of research in mental health has been on understanding the biological basis of mental disorders and new drugs. This was a major shift from the first half of the 20th century, when the psychoanalytic model was dominating the scene. Our understanding of the biological basis of many mental disorders has definitely improved in the last few decades with the advances in structural and functional imaging. However, there has not been any major advancement on the therapeutic side, with no significant introductions after the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and serotonin dopamine antagonists. Mental disorders have been identified as an important contributor to the global burden of disease, with the burden not shown any fall over the last 3 decades. Thus, there is a need to focus on the social dimension of mental disorders which has been systematically ignored. The strategies may include following a public health approach, dealing with stigma associated with mental disorders, strengthening the mental health services in the community, and improving their accessibility, and promotion of mental health well-being, dealing with disease burden, building resilience, involving families in management, targeting recovery, social prescribing, and using information technology, wherever appropriate.