Hi Lauri -
Thanks for raising the topic. Looks like an interesting conference!
> it could lead to the conclusion that these factors can or should be
addressed by mental health remedies
> Why not just public policy solutions?
Since mental health is not solely the product of the SDOH, public policy
alone couldn't hope to prevent all adverse mental health conditions. I
attended a "occupational therapy-mental health" film festival a few
years ago and it was full of fascinating examples of how challenging it
can be for occupational therapists to support mental health patients who
are trying to establish a more independent life in society, e.g.,
post-institutionalization or after living under the care of guardians.
So, I suspect that a better understanding of how the SDOH affect mental
health would inform better practice innovations for that field, as an
example.
I guess I'm not concerned that the conference is going to be too
clinically focused, in general, because the stated purpose is quite
diverse:
The purpose of the conference is to:
* Increase awareness about how social conditions impact mental
health;
* Encourage the development of mental health prevention and
intervention strategies that are informed by the social determinants
framework;
* Facilitate and support the establishment of multidisciplinary
collaborations that can identify and address the social conditions that
impact mental health; and
* Disseminate new knowledge and practice innovations.
- Ketan.
Ketan Shankardass
Post-Doctoral Fellow
Centre for Research on Inner City Health
St. Michael's Hospital
Assistant Professor
Division of Epidemiology
Dalla Lana School of Public Health
University of Toronto
Phone: 416-864-6060 ext. 3360
Cell: 416-917-1086
Fax: 416-864-5485
>>> Lauri Andress <[log in to unmask]> 02/08/10 1:01 PM >>>
I am interested in what others think.
We typically think of SDOH as using (one of several routes ) a
psychosocial mechanism to explain how these factors get under the skin
--in
this case this conference is looking at how SDOH affect mental health.
This -in my opinion-is a slippery slope-it could lead to the conclusion
that these factors can or should be addressed by mental health
remedies-as
the conference description suggests in terms of solutions: we need new
"knowledge and practice innovations".
Why not just public policy solutions?
*The Social Determinants of Mental Health: From Awareness to Action
June 3-4, 2010
Chicago, IL
*
Exploring the ways in which social context impacts mental health and
well-being -- The purpose of the conference is to increase awareness
about
how social conditions, such as housing quality, land use, food security,
employment opportunity, working conditions, the environment, public
safety,
and public service systems, impact mental health and well-being; and to
encourage the establishment of multidisciplinary collaborations to
develop
new knowledge and practice innovations that are informed by the social
determinants framework.
Featuring:
David Satcher, MD, PhD - The 16th Surgeon General of the United States,
a
former Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and a
member of the World Health Organization’s Commission on the Social
Determinants of Health. Currently, Dr. Satcher is the Director of the
Satcher Health Leadership Institute; Director, Center of Excellence on
Health Disparities; and the Poussaint-Satcher-Cosby Chair in Mental
Health
at the Morehouse School of Medicine.
Sandro Galea, MD, MPH, DrPH - Chair of the Department of Epidemiology
and
the Anna Cheskis Gelman and Murray Charles Gelman Professor of
Epidemiology
at the Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University.
For more information and registration, go to:
http://www.regonline.com/builder/site/default.aspx?EventID=805676
To leave, manage or join list:
https://listserv.yorku.ca/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=sdoh&A=1
To leave, manage or join list: https://listserv.yorku.ca/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=sdoh&A=1
|
