The historical legacy of the sociology of mental health

Among the various disciplines that examine psychological well-being and distress, sociology makes two unique contributions. First, it shows how - as the classical sociologists Emile Durkheim, Karl Marx, and Max Weber emphasized - social-level factors powerfully influence individual-level outcomes. In particular, high levels of social integration, social equality, and meaningful social values are conducive to good mental health. Conversely, poorly integrated and highly stratified societies that do not provide their members with significant ideals are breeding grounds for distress. The second contribution of the sociology of mental health has been to show the social determinants of the response to mental symptoms. Three traditions - help-seeking, labeling, and medicalization - focus on the social factors that influence who seeks or does not seek professional help, which conditions evoke social control, and how medical authority arises. Finally, a social perspective indicates that systemic reforms should be more effective than individual treatment in responding to distress.