Proceedings of the 20th International Academic Conference, Madrid

ANALYSIS OF MENTAL HEALTH POLICIES IN THE CONTEXT WITH WELFARE STATE APPROACH: A CROSS- NATIONAL COMPARISON

DEMET AKARÇAY

Abstract:

Countries have planned and implemented welfare programs according to their income levels, viewpoints about their citizens and priorities. As one of the important part of these programs, health and healthcare services have potential developmental tendency, innovation and dynamism and also, many aims required complex and life- long learning such as efficiency, efficacy within financial, social and legal obligations in order to contribute to social system. Many institutions that create social system reveal social and economic variables and factors of individuals in the society. As considering with a holistic viewpoint, health, which is one of the main institutions in this system as stated by Parsons, expresses not only physical well- being but also social and psychological well- being. In the literature, it is accepted that social and economic factors, as assessing the facts except genetic predisposition, cause mental diseases and can lead to even death. In social system that created by human beings, the importance of health institution has been highlighted to help individuals coping with mental problems, which are also conceived by their own responses and attitudes, and emphasized as a bridge to conduct preventive interventions and make possible for society to reach a ‘quality’ life. The study was designed in the light of following doctrine as that many cross national indicators can present a framework about the countries’ viewpoints for the citizens and willingness to contribute to them. Esping Anderson made the way clear to understand the value of countries to the people, as a citizenship, social or capital means. Thus, the objective of this paper is to evaluate and compare the welfare approaches and mental health policies of the countries by way of many health indicators and social rates.

Keywords: Welfare State, Esping Anderson’s Classification, Mental Health Policies, Human Value

DOI: 10.20472/IAC.2015.020.003

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