... open to question, and its' causes are difficult to define. Any debate over the existence of mental illness will depend largely on the perspectives taken and the criteria used to identify it. The varying range of research done on the topic of mental illness and the differing results make it relatively easy to justify and substantiate any argument, regardless of whether or not it supports the existence of mental illness (Mechanic, 1980). Causes of mental illness have different implications for different areas of the social sciences. Politically any emphasis on the causes of mental illness seems to be by proxy rather than as a direct concern, such as the healthy eating campaign that follows nearly a decade of food safety scares such as B.S.E or salmonella (Lang, 2004). New Labours' focus on public health is undoubtedly a financially inspired move, but it also moves towards countering many of the ...

See this essay or coursework document in full right now