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Old 01-11-2020, 03:45 PM   #1
yoyogirl
 
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medical view of illness

Hiya. All

I am very medical view type person, I believe that everything has biological routes (even mental illness) and although some illnesses have social causes i feel these can be very damaging for the clients I am working within.
Would i have a problem working in social work?

I just feel that if people keep on using the social view it gives clients, reason to feel depressed like it's some sort of feeling word you put on facebook after a bad day, whereas I would be interested how the condition is affecting their lives, how is affecting their sleep, appetite, whats changed, what could be improved and then looking more deeply at once gone on there lives.



Have you ever confused a dream with life? Or stolen something when you have the cash? Have you ever been blue? Or thought your train moving while sitting still? Maybe I was just crazy. Maybe it was the 60's. Or maybe I was just a girl... interrupted.
I know what it's like to want to die. How it hurts to smile. How you try to fit in but you can't. How you hurt yourself on the outside to try to kill the thing on the inside. I tried groups, didn't work out just made my depression a lot worse.

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Old 09-11-2020, 03:05 PM   #2
Auror.
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There are very much social and environmental aspects that influence mental and physical illnesses. I'm not a professional so cannot comment on how social workers as a profession view these impacts, but I can say that my providers tend to also look at how my issues are impacted by the outside world much more so than just biologic or medical issues.

Many of my mental health conditions are exacerbated by the fact that I do not fit the dominant social norm. This influences my physical health too. While this isn't the cause, it impacts me every day.

So I personally think you'd have a very big issue if as a provider, you can't empathize with what your clients are going through and can't understand how living in a world that isn't set up for you can be very damaging.



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Old 09-11-2020, 04:17 PM   #3
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The medical model of illness is outdated, so in short, yes, you would need to use the social model of illness to help clients. I think this is what you're asking, but apologies if not.

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Old 16-11-2020, 11:13 PM   #4
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I think it would be a struggle in the sense that your views are likely to be incompatible with supervisors and so on. However would you be willing to learn more and adapt and develop eg the more I go into my career the less credence I give to the medical model of mental illness and instead I increasingly see the impact of factors such as poverty, abuse, trauma, racism and other elements of social injustice.

I don’t think these lead to people making excuses because the reality is it’s not as simple as that and a chemical imbalance or other medical cause has yet to be found.

I guess to me it’s what you want from your work and whether social worker will give it to you? I’m not a social worker and whilst I considered it for a while i decided against it and I think what I would say is your values need to be compatible both for those you work with and for you.




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Old 17-11-2020, 12:07 PM   #5
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No i don't mean the biological inblances in brain, I mean how it affects a person day to day life? Is lack of sleeping causing them to be moody irrtable or angry at work, when normally they are fine :) has appetite dropped so bad that there are barely eating a yoghurt for example.



Have you ever confused a dream with life? Or stolen something when you have the cash? Have you ever been blue? Or thought your train moving while sitting still? Maybe I was just crazy. Maybe it was the 60's. Or maybe I was just a girl... interrupted.
I know what it's like to want to die. How it hurts to smile. How you try to fit in but you can't. How you hurt yourself on the outside to try to kill the thing on the inside. I tried groups, didn't work out just made my depression a lot worse.

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Old 17-11-2020, 04:03 PM   #6
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I don't think things are that simple. Taking your example, sure someone might not have slept well the night before. But to just say, well you should have slept better won't really do much for someone struggling with mental health issues. Someone who is mentally stable, yes I think your logic is correct and getting better sleep the next night will help. But if something is a long term issue or more chronic than just a bad day once in a while, that won't work.

For most mental illnesses or people struggling with mental health, it's not a simple cause and effect thing and there isn't just an easy solution. That's why treatment can be so complex and take years.

Again taking your sleep example, maybe someone struggles with nightmares or insomnia, or has medical issues that contribute to why they sleep poorly. So simply telling them to just get more sleep won't help. It's going to take longer term support and help to actually work on those things.

So yes, I think you'd still very much run into issues as someone in that field if that's how you're viewing things without taking into account the bigger picture.



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Old 18-11-2020, 03:03 AM   #7
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I'm not sure I'm understanding correctly so please let me know if I'm on the wrong track but it sounds like what you're saying is that it's important to focus on physical/biological type symptoms that might be causing difficulties for people as well as focusing on social difficulties? If that's the case, I don't think it's incompatible with social models. I think it's about finding a balance that makes sense for you and for the individuals you're working with.

Similarly to random.swirls, the more I learn and the more people I work with, the more aware I am of the impact of factors like poverty and trauma. Training as a social worker has really opened my eyes to the impact of structural inequality and I feel that if we ignore that and focus only on the level of individuals and the 'symptoms' they're experiencing there's a limit to the change that can be brought about and a risk of pathologising the difficulties that people are experiencing. But you're right that working with people in a practical way might often need to focus first on the 'basics' like supporting them with sleep and appetite, etc.

I think that there's often too much of a distinction made between social and medical models. So for example, my partner has chronic health problems that affect his mobility. Issues such as stigma and navigating a physical environment that isn't always disability-friendly are very real and contribute hugely to the impact his health condition has on his life. But even if those difficulties could be resolved, he would still be 'disabled' by the condition itself and there's a real need for medical interventions. It's not one or the other, I think it just depends where your interest lies and what area you want to work in.

Apologies for rambling, I hope I'm making some kind of sense! I'm also wondering if there's anything specific that's made you think about whether your values are compatible with this career path? It's okay to discuss things with your tutor or practice educator if you think that might help - it's positive that you're reflecting on this and they're there to support you with that. If it would help to talk to other social workers Facebook is actually a really good resource, there are lots of groups for social workers and social work students and some of them are quite supportive!



"I know you're sad, so I won't tell you to have a good day. Instead, I advise you to simply have a day.
Stay alive, feed yourself well, wear comfortable clothes, and don't give up on yourself just yet.
It'll get better. Until then, have a day."


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