England is a part of Europe’s United Kingdom and it is located on the island of Great Britain Briney, 2017). England has not had its own government since 1707, and is governed today under a parliamentary democracy within the United Kingdom. England has one of the largest economies in the world with main industries being chemicals, pharmaceuticals, aerospace, and software manufacturing. A population of over 41 million people makes England, the largest geographical region in the UK.
England is home to hundreds of different nationalities that have immigrated to this part of the United Kingdom to begin a new life (Meyer, 2013). The median age of English residents is said to be about 36 or 37 years, and life expectancy averages around 77 years of age, while most females will live to be about 81 years old. 70% of residents claim to belong to the Christian church, however, other religions like Hinduism, Islam, Sikhism, Buddhism, and Judaism can also be found. White people make up about 85.4 % of the population, 7.8% Asian, 3.5% Black, British Mixed 2.3%, and other 2.3% (Wikipedia.org).
According to MentalHealth.org, mental health problems affect about 1 in 10 children and young people (Children and Young People, 2018). Mental health problems that commonly occur in children and young people are, depression, self-harm, generalized anxiety disorder, PTSD, ADHD, and eating disorders.
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, treatment options for mental health might include, psychotherapy, medications, family counseling, support for parents, and working together with the young person’s school (Children and Mental Health, 2018).
England seems to handle mental health considering many different domains. For this reason, it may be safe to say that England uses a biopsychological model when attempting to treat children who may have a mental health condition. Pennsylvania State University explained that the biopsychological model places emphasis on many domains, including: health, activities, education, environmental supports and barriers and accommodations (n.d.). This model is said to focus not only on health conditions, but also takes into account contextual factors like coping style, social attitudes, past and present experiences, and personal characteristics.
According to the U.K.’s Mental Health Foundation, people with mental health conditions say that society’s perception of illness in mental health makes their difficulties worse and even make it much harder to recover (2018). Although mental illness is extremely common and one and four people will experience a mental health problem at some point in their lives, there is still a strong set of negative and unfair beliefs that are attached to mental illness. For example, many people believe that people with mental illness are violent and dangerous, but in reality, this group is frequently the victim instead of the perpetrator. Unfortunately, people with mental illness are less likely to find employment, lasting relationships, good housing conditions, and be accepted into society, because of these very harmful negative beliefs.
References
Briney, A. (2017, March 17). Geography of England. Retrieved from LINK: https://www.thoughtco.com/geography-of-england-1435706
Mental Health Foundation. (2018). Children and young people. Retrieved from https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/a-to-z/c/children-and-young-people
Mental Health Foundation. (2018). Stigma and discrimination. Retrieved from https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/a-to-z/s/stigma-and-discrimination
National Institute of Mental Health. (2018). Children and mental health. Retrieved from https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/children-and-mental-health/index.shtml
Pennsylvania State University. (n.d.). Module #6: Models of disability. In RHS 100: Culture of disability: Fall 2018. [Canvas Lecture]. Retrieved from https://psu.instructure.com/courses/1902542/modules/items/25060117
Wikipedia. (2018). Demography of England. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demography_of_England
October 5, 2018 at 10:02 pm
Hello. Your post was very informative. I found it interesting how diverse the population in England. I wonder how all the different nationalities are influenced by disabilities. I am not surprised that a country as large as England would have a high rate of mental health disorders but I am sad that a first world country would have a lack of resources. I am also saddened to read that people with mental health conditions face discrimination such as lack of employment and are thought to be dangerous. I look forward to reading more about this country.
October 6, 2018 at 4:40 am
Hello,
I enjoyed reading your information about the mental health in children in England. I could not help but realize how similar to the US the treatment options are for children, including family and school based treatment programs. How sad that for a progressive country such as England the stigma of mental illness is so evident. The prejudice against someone with a mental illness from getting equal employment, housing, and relationships is heartbreaking.