Mental Health and Social Problems Mental Health and Social Problems is a textbook for social work students and practitioners. It explores the complicated relationship between mental conditions and societal issues as well as examining risk and protective factors for the prevalence, course, adaptation to and recovery from mental illness. The introductory chapter presents biopsychosocial and life-modeled approaches to helping individuals and families with mental illness. The book is divided into two parts. Part I addresses specific social problems, such as poverty, oppression, racism, war, violence, and homelessness, identifying the factors which contribute to vulnerabilities and risks for the development of mental health problems, including the barriers to accessing quality services. Part II presents the most current empirical findings and practice knowledge about prevalence, diagnosis, assess- ment, and intervention options for a range of common mental health problems – including personality conditions, eating conditions and affective conditions. Focusing throughout upon mental health issues for children, adolescents, adults and older adults, each chapter includes case studies and web resources. This practical book is ideal for social work students who specialize in mental health. Nina Rovinelli Hellerteaches in the masters and doctoral programs, and is the Chair of the Mental Health Substantive Area at the University of Connecticut, USA. She has provided mental health services to individuals and families for thirty years in a range of practice settings. She is the co-editor of Integrating Psychodynamic Theory with Cognitive Behavioral Techniques and has published in the area of social work theory and clinical practice. Alex Gittermanis Zachs Professor of Social Work and Director of the Doctoral Program at the University of Connecticut School of Social Work. He has co-authored and co-edited a large number of books including The Life Model of Social Work Practice, Encyclopedia of Social Work with Groupsand The Handbook of Social Work Practice with Vulnerable and Resilient Populations.He served as the President and on the board of the Association for the Advancement of Social Work with Groups, an international professional organization. Mental Health and Social Problems A social work perspective Edited by Nina Rovinelli Heller and Alex Gitterman First published 2011 by Routledge 2Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX144RN Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada by Routledge 270 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2011. To purchase your own copy of this or any of Taylor & Francis or Routledge’s collection of thousands of eBooks please go to www.eBookstore.tandf.co.uk. © 2011 Nina Rovinelli Heller and Alex Gitterman. Individual chapters, the contributors. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data Acatalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Mental health and social problems : a social work perspective / edited by Nina Rovinelli Heller and Alex Gitterman. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references. 1. Psychiatric social work. 2. Mental illness–Etiology. 3. Social problems. I. Heller, Nina Rovinelli. II. Gitterman, Alex, 1938– [DNLM: 1. Mental Disorders. 2. Mental Disorders--etiology. 3. Social Problems. 4. Social Work, Psychiatric. WM 31 M5444 2011] HV689.M46 2011 362.2'042–dc22 2010017265 ISBN 0-203-84060-7 Master e-book ISBN ISBN13: 978–0–415–49386–4 (hbk) ISBN13: 978–0–415–49387–1 (pbk) ISBN13: 978–0–203–84060–3 (ebk) We dedicate this book to all people who have lived with mental health conditions. We write with their voices in our minds and hearts. Contents List of contributors ix Preface xi Acknowledgements xvii 1 Introduction to social problems and mental health/illness 1 NINA ROVINELLI HELLER AND ALEX GITTERMAN PART I Social problems and mental health/illness 19 2 Oppression and stigma and their effects 21 AMY C. WATSON AND SHAUN M. EACK 3 Poverty and its effects 44 MARK R. RANK 4 Racism and its effects 62 DENNIS MIEHLS 5 War and its effects 86 SCOTT HARDING 6 Homelessness and its effects 110 JUDITH BULA WISE 7 Corrections and its effects 133 RUDOLPH ALEXANDER, JR. 8 Immigration and its effects 156 GREGORY ACEVEDO AND MANNY J. GONZÁLEZ 9 Child maltreatment and its effects 174 CAROLYN KNIGHT viii Contents 10 Intimate partner violence and its effects 202 BONNIE E. CARLSON 11 Community violence exposure and its effects 225 VANESSA VORHIES, NEIL B. GUTERMAN, AND MUHAMMAD M. HAJ-YAHIA PART II Mental health conditions 257 12 Autism spectrum conditions 259 JOSEPH WALSH AND JACQUELINE CORCORAN 13 Executive function conditions and self-deficits 282 JOSEPH PALOMBO 14 Oppositional defiant and conduct conditions 313 AMANDA N. BARCZYK AND DAVID W. SPRINGER 15 Mood conditions 331 ELLEN SMITH 16 Anxiety conditions 356 NINA ROVINELLI HELLER AND LISA WERKMEISTER ROZAS 17 Eating conditions 381 DANNA BODENHEIMER AND NINA ROVINELLI HELLER 18 Personality conditions 404 TERRY B. NORTHCUT 19 Psychotic conditions 423 ELLEN P. LUKENS AND LYDIA P. OGDEN 20 Substance abuse 450 MEREDITH HANSON 21 Dementia and related problems in cognition and memory 473 SARA SANDERS AND JOELLE K. OSTERHAUS Index 502 Contributors Gregory Acevedo, PhD Associate Professor, Fordham University Graduate School of Social Services Rudolph Alexander, Jr., PhD Professor, Ohio State University College of Social Work Amanda N. Barczyk, MSW Doctoral candidate, University of Texas School of Social Policy and Practice Work at Austin Danna Bodenheimer, DSW Adjunct Faculty, University of Pennsylvania School of Social Policy and Practice Bonnie E. Carlson, PhD Professor and Associate Director, West Campus, Arizona State University School of Social Work Jacqueline Corcoran, PhD Professor, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Social Work Shaun M. Eack, PhD Assistant Professor, University of Pittsburg School of Social Work Alex Gitterman, EdD Zacks Professor of Social Work and Director of the Doctoral Program, University of Connecticut School of Social Work Manny J. González, DSW Associate Professor, Hunter College School of Social Work, The City University of New York Neil B. Guterman, PhD Mose and Sylvia Firestone Professor and Dean, University of Chicago School of Social Administration Muhammad M. Haj-Yahia, PhD Gordon Brown Chair in Social Work and Associate Professor, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem School of Social Work and Social Welfare Meredith Hanson, DSW Professor, Fordham University Graduate School of Social Services Scott Harding, PhD Associate Professor, University of Connecticut School of Social Work