Transcript Ch. 10 Medical Care

Medical Care:
Physical and Mental Illness
Michael Itagaki
Sociology 102, Social Problems
Problem in Sociological
Perspective

Health and Illness as a social problem,
relative to other social issues
Table 10.1 (p. 313)
The Most Important Problems Facing the Nation
Problem in Sociological
Perspective

Social nature of health and illness
 Changing ideas about disease—
Black lung disease
 Effects of industrialization—
Iatrogenesis
 Medical incompetence
Problem in Sociological
Perspective

Social organization of medicine as a
source of problems
 Rising
costs
Figure 10.1 (p. 315)
The Nation's Medical Bill: Soaring Costs
Note: The broken line represents estimates by the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Source: By
the author, based on Statistical Abstract of the United States 2003: Table 127.
Problem in Sociological
Perspective

Social organization of medicine as a
source of problems
 Rising
costs
 New
technology & demand for latest
treatments
 Last-minute intervention vs. prevention
 Medical
care sold for profit
Problem in Sociological
Perspective

Social organization of medicine as a
source of problems
 Rising
costs
 Case
of Caesarean sections
 Two-class
system of medical care
The Scope of the
Problem

Illness as a social problem
 How
much illness in the U.S.?
Table 10.3 (p. 317)
Number of Days Americans Are So Sick That They Cut Down on Their Activities
for More than Half a Day
The Scope of the
Problem

Illness as a social problem
 How
much illness in the U.S.?
 Life expectancy
Figure 10.10 - U.S. Life Expectancy by Year of Birth. Page 271
The Scope of the
Problem

Illness as a social problem
 How
much illness in the U.S.?
 Life expectancy
 Infant mortality
 Social
factors: geography
Figure 10.3 (p. 318)
The Geography of Death: Infant Mortality Rates
Source: By the author, based on Statistical Abstract of the United States 2003: Table 114.
The Scope of the
Problem

Illness as a social problem
 How
much illness in the U.S.?
 Life expectancy
 Infant mortality
 Social
factors: geography
 U.S. vs. rest of the world
Figure 10.4
(p. 319)
Infant Mortality
Rates
Source: By the author,
based on Statistical
Abstract of the United
States 1998: Table
1345; 2003: Table 1326.
Symbolic Interaction and
Medical Care

Giving meaning to the symptoms
 Social

Political meaning to illness
 Ex.

Class/Culture differences
of homosexuality
Definitions affecting perceptions
 Alcohol
abuse and Attention Deficit
Disorder (ADD)
Functionalism and
Medical Care

Who benefits?
 Medical
profession
 Physicians,
companies
hospitals, pharmaceutical
Figure 10.7
(p. 326)
How Much Does It
Cost to Stay in the
Hospital? One
Day's Cost
Compared to
Inflation
Source: By the author,
based on Statistical
Abstract of the United
States 1998: Table 137;
2003: Table 171.
Functionalism and
Medical Care

Who benefits?
 Medical
profession
 Physicians,
companies
 Patients
hospitals, pharmaceutical
Conflict Theory and
Medical Care

Who benefits?
 Medical
profession, but not patients
 Ex. of Medicaid
 Exploitation of women
 Ex.
unnecessary hysterectomies
 Exploitation of illness
Research Findings

Historical changes in health problems
Figure 10.8a (p. 329)
The Ten Leading Causes of Death in the United States
Source: By the author, based on Rockett 1994; Statistical Abstract 2003: Tables 118, 119.
Research Findings


Historical changes in health problems
Superbugs in the Global Village (p.
331)
 Use
of antibiotics and mutation of
bacteria and germs

Social basis of AIDS
Figure 10.10 (p. 332)
Source: By the author, based on Centers for Disease Control 2004.
Social Policy

Preventative medicine
 Primary
prevention
 Secondary prevention
 Tertiary prevention

Primary prevention: Lifestyle choice?
 Overweight
in America
Social Policy

Social organization of medicine as a
source of problems
 Are
these contributing to
depersonalization in medicine?
 Patients
treated as things, not people
 Idea of holistic care