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Mental health problems each have their own way of affecting people in society. This could be directly caused by the illness itself or could be a consequence of how others perceive people with the mental health problem to behave. Here we will look into how different problems have an impact.
How depression affects individuals and society
The amount which an individual is affected by depression will very much depend upon the severity with which it is experienced. Someone who has mild depression will likely be able to go about their daily activities on some or most days, meaning that although their life is affected, it is not brought to a complete standstill.
However, someone who has severe depression may get to a point where they are overwhelmed by feelings of inadequacy, worthlessness and desperation and, sadly, this can increase their risk of suicide. It is thought that up to 15% of people who have severe depression will take their own life but this figure may be higher as some people who commit suicide will not have been formally diagnosed with depression.
Depression affects society because people who experience it will be more likely to take time off work; the Health and Safety Executive estimates that approximately 822,000 workers suffered work-related stress, depression or anxiety in 2020/21 which accounted for 50% of all working days lost due to ill health.
Workplace stress is thought to be a major contributor to depression with people feeling overworked but undervalued. People also cite poor management as a cause of stress, which leads to depression. Once someone begins to experience depression their motivation is affected, meaning they are less likely to want to go to work, which can make them feel anxious about money or guilty about letting their colleagues down, both of which can compound the condition and make it even worse.
The cost of treating depression also has a significant effect on society – the amount of prescriptions for antidepressant drugs is increasing, and in 2015, 61 million were given out across the UK, a figure which has doubled over the last decade.
Such treatments are thought to cost the NHS more than £1.5 billion a year, which may put a strain on their resources and on the services that the NHS are able to provide.
How addiction affects individuals and society
Addiction can be very costly to individuals and their families and not just in financial terms, although this is a major consideration. Addicts will tend to put their addiction needs above all others and this can mean that money, which should have been spent on other things such as their housing, food or utility bills, is spent on whatever they are addicted to. Lacking such basic amenities because people are unable to look after themselves properly means that their quality of life can be severely affected, as can their health, both physically and mentally, as addiction is often experienced alongside other mental health problems.
The effects of addiction on society in terms of workplaces are similar to those of depression in that people who have problems with addiction are more likely to take time off work and this means that the people for whom they work have to cover their workload, which puts financial strain on the company.
Another effect on society is the cost of treating addiction; the NHS is thought to invest almost £500 million per year in treating and rehabilitating people who have addiction issues and associated health problems.
A major effect on society is the fact that people who have addictions will often turn to crime in order to fund their addiction. Not only does this have an impact on the people who are the victims of such crimes but the cost of investigating them is extremely high – as much as £14 billion per year.
