5.5 conclusions

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From the course by University of Toronto

The Social Context of Mental Health and Illness

101 ratings

University of Toronto

The Social Context of Mental Health and Illness

101 ratings

Learn how social factors promote mental health, influence the onset and course of mental illness, and affect how mental illnesses are diagnosed and treated. This course explores how our understanding of mental health and illness has been influenced by social attitudes and social developments in North America and around the world. The course begins by situating our contemporary mental health practices in historical context, then looks at different aspects of mental health, mental illness and mental health services and their connections to what’s going on in our social environment.

From the lesson

Families, caregiving and mental illness

5.0 introduction to lecture 5 5:20

5.1 families and mental health 8:04

5.2 do families cause mental illness - no 15:34

5.3 families and caregiving 15:59

5.4 families and recovery 5:09

5.5 conclusions 2:23

Meet the Instructors

Charmaine Williams
Associate Professor
Faculty of Social Work

Well Coursera, that was families, caregiving and mental illness.

I hope you feel like that did justice to the experiences of families and the

experiences of everybody within those families.

It's been my privilege to work with many, many families over the years who are

dealing with mental illness. I really think that's why I have this,

rather optimistic outlook, that what families essentially do, is promote each

others mental health, because what I've seen is a lot of families pull together,

and see each other through times that were incredibly difficult.

So fundamentally, I believe families are a good thing, and that they are a really

great thing and a great resource for people who are dealing with mental

illness. The other thing is though, I do want to

mention that I know that not every fa-, family can do that.

And certainly part of what I've seen over the years as well, is that when I'm

talking about families and what they do for each other, I'm not always talking

about people who are related by blood or related by marriage.

There are many people who have people close to them that function like a family

for them and, unfortunately, we don't always recognize those people because

we're so stuck in that idea of what a family is.

But, many of us are connected to people and care about them and care for them when

they need it, and this is something that we're only going to have to learn to

understand and deal with more as the entire population ages.

And as we recognize that, you know, illness and disability, both physical and

men-, mental illness and disability are becoming more and more a part of

everybody's lives. I almost know no, I don't think I know

anybody who isn't dealing with some kind of a caregiving issue in their family.

And, that's why it's so important for us to think about, how to support people in

that role, and how to prepare ourselves for it, because I think we all will have

time when we are going to be caregivers or care receivers.

So with that, I am going to, leave you to do whatever mental health promoting thing

you plan to do this week. And I will see you at the final week of

the social context of mental health and illness, soon.

Bye.

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