Download S324 - Lecture Guide Perspectives on Illness Class 2, Wed., June

S324 - Lecture Guide
Perspectives on Illness
Class 2, Wed., June 23
Readings
A general note: the discussion questions at the end of each reading will make excellent short answer and
essay fodder for your instructor! A general rule after reading each article is to have some idea how you might
answer these questions.
Lecture and Discussion Questions
1. What is the difference between disease, illness, and sickness?
2. What are some of the benefits for a person whose problem has been defined as psychiatric in nature?
What are some of the disadvantages for the individual?
3. What are some of the advantages for groups or society to recognize problems as psychiatric in nature?
Disadvantages?
4. Trace the broad outlines of the history of understanding and treatments of mental disorders in Western
culture. (Be prepared to give examples from each era.)
5. How can worldview affect the way mental problems are viewed in a society? (Be prepared to give
examples.)
6. What do the terms somatic, psychosomatic, and psychogenic mean? How do they relate to different
eras of understanding of mental health problems? (Again, examples.)
7. What is a culture bound syndrome? (Examples)
8. What does Kleinman mean by the “category fallacy?”
9. What influences Kleinman’s definition of “disease?” What influences the definition that I gave to the
class?
10. What are the types of psychiatric disorders that the DSM IV-TR identifies? What are problems Bruce
identifies from a sociological perspective?
11. Can a social understanding of an illness be compatible or complementary to a medical model of
disease? (Be prepared to give examples.)
12. How does Aneshensel define a social etiology model and a social consequences model of mental
health? How does her use of the term “consequences” differ from our class theme of “consequences?”