Rise of Mental Social Justice

NB: We do not resell your papers. Upon ordering, we do an original paper exclusively for you.

NB: All your data is kept safe from the public.

Society is built on many presumptions about people’s nature, most of which become obsolete with time. Such assumptions lead to the mistreatment of a sizable portion of the population. The belief in the incurability and inherent danger of mental conditions is a prime example. The deficit of social justice in this sphere is described in LeFrançois, Reaume, and Menzies’s book Mad Matters. It relates to the social justice leadership in clinical and supervisory practice in mental health settings by challenging the modern tenets of managerialism and neoliberalism.

Managerialism is the dominant approach to management in the service industry. It presupposes prioritizing competencies at the expense of social justice (Fook, 2002). Mad Matters showcases social activists fighting this viewpoint and their achievements. Boston’s Disabled People’s Liberation Front influenced power structures in the US. The Ontario Coalition on Human Rights acted similarly in Canada. These organizations managed to change legislation concerning mentally challenged people (LeFrançois et al., 2013, p. 27). In practice, it meant that new guidelines required clinical facilities to forgo the stigmatization of mental patients. Subsequently, supervisors of such establishments checked that the treatment of the aforementioned patients was corresponding to their rights.

Neoliberalism is the view that judges success in economic terms. Its exclusion of social justice from the equation contributes to the oppression of mental patients (Pollack & Rossiter, 2010). Mad Matters shows the growth of social activism, advocating the rights of mentally challenged individuals. Motivated by the success of feminist and gay liberalization movements, Mental Patients Association (MPA) openly resisted neoliberalism. It began the unprecedented practice of unbiased clinical treatment of mental patients, which was funded by the government (LeFrançois et al., 2013, p. 58). Therefore, by changing the agenda of the Mental Health Commission of Canada, MPA influenced leadership in mental healthcare.

Altogether, it should be evident that neoliberalist policies and managerial practices harm mentally challenged people. Increased emphasis on professionalism and economic value discards social justice. Mad Matters describes organizations influencing the legislation and policies on mental patients. Not only did these people start to receive adequate healthcare services, but their treatment was also controlled by supervisors. Their success in combating neoliberalism and managerialism showcases the relation of Mad Matters to the advancement of social justice in mental healthcare.

References

Fook, J. (2002). Social work: Critical theory and practice. New Delhi, India: Sage.

LeFrançois, B. A., Reaume, G., & Menzies, R. J. (Eds.). (2013). Mad matters: A critical reader in Canadian mad studies. Toronto, Canada: Canadian Scholars’ Press Incorporated.

Pollack, S., & Rossiter, A. (2010). Neoliberalism and the entrepreneurial subject: Implications for feminism and social work.Canadian Social Work Review. Web.

Click Here To Order Now!

References

Related