Executive Summary
Good mental health promotes social and economic and social well-being. However, the intervening social and economic conditions exacerbate poor mental health among human beings. The UK is one of the most developed countries with advanced medical institutions. However, mental health remains an issue of concern for the citizens and the government at large. This report has four significant purposes: explore the men’s mental health issue in Newham borough, utilize the available data to conclude the situation, explore the determinants of mental health using The Dahlgren-Whitehead Framework, and suggest possible strategies that can be adopted by personnel and government levels to reduce the cases of mental disorders in men.
Upon exploring the available data on the mental health situation in Newham borough, three significant findings were made: mental health issues are more prevalent in women than men, White men of ages 25 to 44 are more susceptible to mental health issues than other populations groups, and the intervening difficult economic conditions in Newham and poor social connections are the major contributors of mental health issues in men. Therefore, the borough’s council and residents should adopt economic empowerment activities, public awareness, and strong social connections among men to encumber the worsening situation.
Introduction
Mental health is a psychological issue that is prevalent in men and women, encumbering their productivity in the workplace and society in general. Although the issue is more common in women than men, it is altogether detrimental to any person. Newham London Borough is one of the areas where mental health in men is common. The issue affects the society and family members of those affected. The Dahlgren-Whitehead Rainbow can be used to identify personal and social causes of mental health issues. This report is purposed to explore the causes of mental health issues within Newham London Borough by utilizing the Dahlgren-Whitehead Rainbow model. The report will discuss the background information of the issue, its current status in Newham, the causes of the issue, and the health strategies to promote men’s mental health.
London Borough of Newham
Geographical locations are critical when analyzing the causes and possible preventive measures of a particular health issue. Newham is located in London, UK, and was established in 1965 through the London Government Act 1963 (Armstrong and Rosbrook-Thompson, 2022). In Britain, a borough is a self-governing jurisdiction that covers a given area within English-speaking countries. Therefore, Newham has its local government that determines routine social activities such as health and economy. The area is estimated to be about eight miles east of the City of London and north of the river Thames making it strategic for access to medical facilities. Therefore, the Newham residents enjoy the medical and economic activities available in the City of London.
Newnham is one of the most populated London boroughs making health services crucial for the area. As of 2021, Newham had an estimated population of about 382,984 (Newham London, n.d.). The population has shrunk by about 28.9% from the late 20th century due to war bombings and increased unemployment rates (Newham London, n.d.). The males are the majority in Newham, accounting for about 53% of the entire population (City Population, n.d.). Therefore, males are significant for Newnham’s economic development. Being located near the City of London, Newham registers increased cases of unemployment and crime rates. The majority of individuals being affected are males, making it crucial to determine their mental health status.
Mental Health Issue
Background Information
A healthy lifestyle is significant for personal growth and economic productivity. According to Fawns-Ritchie et al. (2021), a healthy lifestyle involves physical and emotional well-being. Mental health is one of the determinants of psychological wellness. Although mental health is a multifaceted health issue, it involves emotional, psychological, and social well-being (Gutierrez Chavez et al., 2022). It includes how people think, feel, and act towards given difficult situations in life (Fawns-Ritchie et al., 2021). For instance, experiencing traumatic events such as wars can harm a person’s emotions and psychology. Consequently, mental health determines how individuals handle depression and stress, relate to other society members, and make healthy choices.
Persons with poor mental health are likely to have poor relationships with others and make bad health choices. Drug abuse and social problems are more associated with people with poor mental health than those who are emotionally and psychologically healthy. Research by the Centers for Disease and Control Prevention (CDC) shows that more than 50% of people are diagnosed with a mental illness or disorder at some point in their lives (CDC, 2021). Meanwhile, the government of the UK shows that 1 in 4 people experiences some form of mental issue every year in the country (Mind, 2020). Additionally, 1 in 6 people is diagnosed with serious mental health problems such as anxiety and depression every week in England (Mind, 2020). Therefore, a mental health issue is significant to the government and related stakeholders since it determines the social and psychological well-being of a given country.
Types of Mental Health Issues and Importance
Mental health problems manifest in various forms that are detrimental to the physical and psychological well-being of an individual. The World Health Organization states that there are more than 200 different types of mental health problems (Maqsood et al., 2021). According to WHO mental illness can be referred to as mental health disorders, covering psychosocial disabilities and mental states associated with significant distress, impairment in functioning, or risk of self-harm (Maqsood et al., 2021). However, the common forms of mental health problems are anxiety, depression, bipolar, post-traumatic stress disorder, schizophrenia, and eating disorders, among others (Mind, 2020). The various types of mental health problems have varying effects on the overall body health and economic empowerment of affected individuals. Therefore, good mental health is crucial for human beings to be successful in their social interactions.
Mental health is important because of various reasons relating to personal success and social relationships. Maintained and positive mental health stabilizes a person’s constructive behaviors, emotions, and thoughts. For instance, individuals with stable mental health exhibit cordial behaviors and can well interact with any person without fear or aggression. Moreover, mentally stable people have a positive attitude toward themselves and what they do (Gutierrez Chavez et al. 2022). Therefore, focusing on good mental health allows human beings to increase their productivity at work, enhance their self-image, and improve their relationships with other people in society. While mental health problems manifest in various forms, a stable psychological status is crucial for economic and social development.
Men’s Mental Health in Newham
The economic and social conditions of Newham necessitate the emergence of increased mental health issues. Men are the majority of the area’s population, as discussed above, and are susceptible to mental health problems. The prevalence of mental health issues is higher in Newham than in other boroughs. Consequently, Newham has recorded a rise in admission for depression from 3.7% in 2015 to about 14.5% in 2020 (Healthwatch Newham, 2019). According to Healthwatch Newham (2019), the cases of mental health in Newham are higher among children and young people compared to other population segments. The annual estimated number of mental health cases in children and young people is about 5000 (Healthwatch Newham, 2019). Moreover, Newham council in its mental health assessment needs for the years 2016 to 2018 reports that about 70,000 Newham residents experience mental health issues every year.
Depression and anxiety are common mental health issues in Newham. Out of the 70,000 reported cases, about 29,000 of the patients suffer from anxiety and depression. Women exhibit more cases of anxiety and depression, and all other types of mental illnesses than. According to the sampled population by the borough’s council, while 8% of the reported cases of anxiety are men, 10% are women (Healthwatch Newham, 2019). Additionally, out of the 5,700 sampled men 3% exhibit depressive symptoms (NHS Clinical Commissioning Group, 2019). The majority of men who exhibit mental illness are between the ages of 25 and 64 (NHS Clinical Commissioning Group, 2019). Although the statistics show that more women are more vulnerable to mental issues than men, the effects of the conditions affect both genders. Therefore, developing a strategy that addresses mental health issues among men is crucial for the economy and society of Newham.
Findings
The mental health issue is one of the problems facing Newham’s health sector. The issue is more prevalent in women than men due to the circumventing social and economic issues that are unique to the two genders. In men, an average of 8% and 3% exhibit depressive and anxiety conditions respectively (Healthwatch Newham, 2019). Meanwhile, 13% of men exhibit other types of mental issues, making it significant to explore the major causes of the health problem (NHS Clinical Commissioning Group, 2019). It is even more interesting to discover that mental illnesses among men in Newham are more prevalent between the ages 25 and 44 with 5.8 % of the men exhibiting the conditions (NHS Clinical Commissioning Group, 2019). Furthermore, more cases are reported among Whites than any other race in the borough (NHS Clinical Commissioning Group, 2019). Therefore, it can be concluded that White men between ages 25 and 44 are more likely to experience mental health illness than other men in Newham.
Causes of Mental Health Issues in Men in Newham: The Dahlgren-Whitehead Rainbow
The mental health issue is a multifaceted medical concept that involves various intervening factors. Therefore, it is not advisable to point out one specific factor as a cause of mental health problems. For instance, while age may be a cause of a given mental health problem, various issues revolve around age. Some of the issues associated with age are peer and family pressure and economic instability, among others. Therefore, it is significant to adopt a specific medical model that provides a comprehensive and clear analysis of the causes and possible strategic steps for reducing a given health issue. The Dahlgren-Whitehead Rainbow is one of the globally accepted models that allow the identification of causes of a given health issue in a specific geographic location.
The Dahlgren-Whitehead Framework
Newham’s demographics show differential mental illness’ prevalence in various population groups. The Dahlgren-Whitehead Rainbow is a model that helps determine health inequalities across various population groups (Dahlgren and Whitehead, 2021). The model was developed in 1991 by Göran Dahlgren and Margaret Whitehead. Through the model, medical practitioners can explain the relationship between an individual and the environment, mapping the possible causes of various health problems. The model places particular demographic personalities at the center, with various layers of influences on their health around them (Dahlgren and Whitehead, 2021). The surrounding layers include factors such as individual lifestyle, community influences, living and working conditions, and more general social conditions (Figure 1). The Dahlgren-Whitehead Rainbow is crucial among medical researchers since it helps them develop hypotheses and explore relative influences of health determinants.
The Dahlgren-Whitehead Framework Application to Mental Health Issues in Men in Newham
The Dahlgren-Whitehead framework can be utilized to identify the various factors that cause mental health issues in men in Newham. The model will help in relating various medical determinates to the prevalence of mental health issues in men in the borough. The Dahlgren-Whitehead will utilize four significant health determinants of mental health issues: personal characteristics, individual lifestyle, physical and social environment, and socio-economic and cultural environment conditions. Each of the health determinants will help in proving the findings about mental health prevalence in men in Newham as discussed above.
Personal Characteristics: Age, Sex, and Genetic
Personal characteristics that determine individualism are crucial in predicting the prevalence of mental health issues. Women are more vulnerable to mental health issues than men in Newham. The lesser prevalence of mental health issues among men can be explained by their age and sex. Unlike females, British society has prioritized males over females (Smith et al., 2022). Moreover, men are more self-dependent than women as explored through marital interactions. For instance, men take up the majority of economic activities in the borough, solely occupying their minds and having no time to stress their lives. Furthermore, as men grow older, they establish a closer relationship with their age-mates who are crucial in helping them with their mental statuses.
Although sex and gender explain the prevalence of mental illnesses in men, they can only be interpreted from a social perspective. Therefore, age and sex are determinants of mental health due to the activities one engages in based on their gender. An individual’s genetic makeup can be used to explain their vulnerability to mental health issues. The genetic determinants mean that cases of mental health problems run in the family, and one inherits them during birth (Naido and Wills, 2016). In Newham, the majority of mental illnesses in men are caused by multifactorial inheritance: a combination of multiple genetic and environmental factors (Bartley, 2017). Therefore, men in Newham are less susceptible to mental illnesses due to their sex, age, and genetic differences.
Individual Lifestyle Factors
Lifestyle choices differ from men to women, due to their gender-specific influences. While some choices promote health wellness, others deteriorated health. The differential lifestyle choices are evident in Newham and UK in general. Men in Newham and UK at large are more addicted to drugs than women. Additionally, the worst affected groups are males between the ages of 16 and 24. The pattern shows poor health choices among men as compared to women.
However, men are more actively involved in physical exercises than women who spend the majority of their time at home. According to the statics discussed above men between the ages of 25 and 40 are more susceptible to mental problems than others. Individual lifestyle choice is one of the causes of mental illnesses among men in Newham, but not a major contributing factor. Therefore, the involvement of men in drug abuse causes mental illnesses in men in Newham, while intense physical exercises promote good mental health.
Physical and Social Environment
The physical and social environment can lead to various mental health issues. Newham is one of the areas in London that have been devasted by wars. While the war had a direct impact on its population growth in the late 20th century, some men were affected psychologically (Bartley, 2017). As a social factor, war leads to death and consequent grief (Bartley, 2017). Moreover, the loosing of loved ones can emotionally harm an individual, leading to poor mental health. Other social factors that lead to depression and anxiety associated with war include the loss of property and displacement.
Meanwhile, the area is partly industrialized and noise pollution is a common happening in various areas. The presence of noise pollution and other forms of environmental conditions indirectly interfere with mental health. For instance, repetitive and louder noises cause poor concentration. Meanwhile, men are lesser socially interactive than women due to their tight daily schedules at work. Consequently, the majority of men in Newham find little or no time to share their sufferings. The less social connection between men and their peers exacerbates mental conditions. Physical and social environmental factors such as noise pollution and weak social connections affect men’s mental health in Newham.
Socio-economic, Cultural, and Environment Conditions
Newham borough has diverse communities and hosts various economic activities. Although the majority population in the area are Whites, Africans and Asians are part of Newham society. The Africans in Newham are likely to be discriminated against by their ethnic and cultural backgrounds (Warwick-Booth, Cross, and Lowcock, 2021). Consequently, mental health issues such as depression and anxiety are common. Moreover, systemic racism that is deeply rooted in Britain’s criminal social institutions leads to increased mental health illnesses at workplaces.
The environmental conditions least cause mental illness in Newham due to the strict policies adopted by the council and UK government at large. Meanwhile, economic factors, especially high unemployment rates among men are great contributors to mental health problems (Warwick-Booth, Cross, and Lowcock, 2021). The majority of the borough’s population are young men who have burdened economic responsibilities. However, some of the opportunities available do not meet the needs of young men. Consequently, many of them suffer from stress and depression and may end up indulging in drug abuse that worsens their mental health conditions.
Strategies to Promote Men’s Mental Health in Newham
The finding on the prevalence of mental health issues in Men in Newham can be summarized in three statements: mental illnesses are more prevalent in White men of ages 25 to 44, men in Newham report lesser cases of mental conditions than women, and unbearable economic conditions are the major causes of mental illnesses in men in Newham. Therefore, addressing the major determinant of mental health conditions in men in Newham can help alleviate the situation. The borough has adopted medical and social approaches to mental illnesses. However, various strategies can be adopted to address mental health issues in men in the borough.
Existing Approaches
The Newham borough has adopted various strategies that help in reducing mental health issues among its residents. The borough has adopted medical and social approaches that help solve different mental health issues. The medical approach involves activities that integrate pharmacology, and the use of medicine to treat mental health. For the medical approach, the borough has adopted a joint mental health strategy that involves the different hospitals within the borough. The hospitals issue prescribed drugs such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and sertraline. Although the drugs are available in different healthcare facilities within Newham, they can only be taken under a doctor’s prescription.
The second approach adopted by the borough is a sociological one, involving the Newham community helping victims. The borough has integrated talk therapy into its mental health services. Partnering with organizations such as the Tower hamlet and Redbridge, Newham has successfully integrated talk therapy into its mental health services. Talk therapy involves psychotherapists who communicate with their patients to help them identify the causes and effects of mental health issues (Venturo-Conerly et al., 2021). Through talk therapy, the patients can safely express their feelings and emotions triggered by daily stressors and other social issues. The therapists use the victims’ stories to understand how it affects their lives and work. Consequently, necessary strategies are adopted to decrease the severity of mental illnesses. Although the existing approaches have helped the borough reduce cases of mental illnesses, it can adopt further options to deal with the alarming cases among men.
Recommended Strategies
Social Prescribing
The UK has organizations that are crucial in solving social issues such as mental health. Social prescribing plays a significant role since it involves community referral programs. Through social prescribing, nurses and other healthcare professionals refer victims to a range of local and non-clinical services (Warwick-Booth, Cross, and Lowcock, 2021). One of the organizations that Newham can work with for social prescribing is the Bromley by Bow Centre. The organization is community-based and works for the betterment of society. Therefore, partnering with the center will help Newham reduce the cases of mental illnesses in Newham.
Enhance Strong Social Connections Among Men
Social connection involves the ability of individuals to freely interact in the community and express their feelings and thoughts. It is established that in Newham men have poorer social connections than women, leading to mental illnesses. Therefore, social networks such as podcasts and other social media platforms that allow men interactions should be established in Newham. Additionally, institutions such as churches and schools should establish community groups that allow men to freely share their feelings and be advised on the same. Effective social connections will help men learn from others and find ways of countering poor mental health.
Promote Financial Empowerment
As an urban center, Newham has various economic opportunities available. However, the increasing and deteriorating economic conditions psychologically affect men. The situation is worsened by family pressure and the need to provide basic needs to their families. The Newham borough council can start activities that economically empower men in the area. For instance, trade fairs that encourage entrepreneurial thinking can lead to the exploitation of business opportunities. Additionally, establishing businesses will lead to increased sources of income for the families in the borough. Economic empowerment helps men meet their personal and family needs while avoiding situations that lead to mental illnesses.
Public Awareness Campaigns
Public awareness is crucial in encouraging community efforts in fighting mental health issues. While the issues are lesser prevalent in men than women, utilizing the mainstream media to bring to attention the impacts of mental illnesses can help men in Newham. Social media platforms such as Twitter can be used to promote the messages of stable mental health among men and women in Newham. The mainstream media houses including radio and television stations can be encouraged to air programs that promote mental health awareness. As the public engages in the issues on the platforms, victims will be encouraged to come out and share their experiences. Moreover, public awareness campaigns will motivate individual family members to check up on their counterparts and help solve mental health issues.
Partnerships
Organizational partnerships are crucial in resource mobilization for mental healthcare and prevention in Newham. The partnership involves the coming together of various stakeholders who are interested in mental health issues in the borough. Government and non-governmental organizations can put together their different resources to boost mental wellness. The government and borough’s council can take over the roles such as policy formulation and allocation of promotional spaces such as the borough’s stadia for mental health campaigns. Additionally, the government can offer medical incentives to patients attending public hospitals for mental health counseling. Meanwhile, non-governmental organizations such as private companies and global bodies such as the WHO can bring in their expertise. The government will ensure that the various mental health experts have access to healthcare facilities. Through the partnership, the Newham borough council will save on the costs of promoting mental well-being among its residents.
Integrated Care
An integrated care model among medical service providers can help reduce the increasing cases of mental health issues. The Newham borough’s council can encourage healthcare providers to adopt the integrated approach. The plan promotes sharing of information among medical professionals who provide their services to a particular patient. Consistent communication among doctors and psychologists will help establish specific biological and psychological needs of poor mental health victims. Hospitals in Newham can integrate information communication technology that helps in keeping patients’ records for future reference. The integrated system can allow communication among counseling service providers in Newham for effective treatment strategies. Consequently, effective and more beneficial treatment plans will be developed. Quality medical care will significantly reduce the cases of mental illnesses in Newham. Therefore, the government and interested stakeholders can promote integrated healthcare plans through legislation.
Conclusion
Mental health is a medical and social issue of global concern since it determines economic growth. Newham is one of the London boroughs with increased cases of mental disorders. The borough’s location near the City of London makes it comestible to social and economic issues manifested in urban areas. Mental health issues involve various medical conditions such as anxiety, depression, and schizophrenia, among others. Depression and anxiety are the most common conditions in the borough. Mental health conditions in Newham are more prevalent in women than men. However, addressing the issue of men is crucial since they are the majority population in Newham. Economic empowerment, public awareness, integrated care, partnerships. and establishing stronger social conditions can help solve mental health issues in men in Newham.
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