Introduction: The Medicalization of Poverty

The Overdiagnosis of Bipolar Disorder Within Marginalized Communities: A Call to Action

“…As with most neoliberal policies, the PRWORA's transfer of poverty services from welfare to disability programs has benefitted private interests, including pharmaceutical companies and a growing industry of mental health professionals, all of which reap profits from psychiatric overdiagnosis, expanded categories of mental illness, and reallocations of government spending (Mitchell, 2012;Rimke, 2016). Vulnerable Americans, including those applying for disability under misapplied BD diagnoses, suffer the greatest losses as unmet needs for employment, housing support, healthcare access, neighborhood investment, and antidiscrimination policies are met with irrelevant and often harmful mental health interventions (Shepherd & Wilson, 2018;Rimke, 2016;Mills, 2015;Hansen et al, 2014).…”

“…By following Belgium's lead and decentering the DSM within its healthcare system, the U.S. could begin to explore diagnostic models that are more sensitive to the social, economic and racial determinants of mental health. Finally, retiring the stigmatizing term "mental illness," which locates the roots of mental distress within dysfunctional individuals, may help cleanse U.S. mental healthcare of neoliberal assumptions that are driving overdiagnosis and the privatization of poverty (Mills, 2015;Rimke, 2016;Shepherd & Wilson, 2018). Social workers will need to think critically about how to respond to the problem of BD overdiagnosis, both as clinicians and as advocates for change.…”

The Role of Advocacy in Public Health Law

“…Therefore, providing students from different disciplines with opportunities to practice concrete health justice advocacy skills is critical to instilling advocacy as part of their professional lives. poverty instead of providing for the tangible needs of the poor before illness results" 9 ) can provide students in the health professions with a foundation from which to advocate for redistribution of health care dollars to social services and safety net programs. 10 Once students are able to see through a health justice lens, they can then be challenged to think more concretely and strategically about how to advocate for policy change.…”

“…7 For example, recognizing how selective enforcement of housing laws disparately affects the health of communities of color can help law and public health students identify the need to change specific laws and policies in their own communities. 8 Likewise, explicit discussion of how policy choices lead to the medicalization of poverty (i.e., spending “inordinate amounts of money and other resources to address healthcare needs brought on by poverty instead of providing for the tangible needs of the poor before illness results” 9 ) can provide students in the health professions with a foundation from which to advocate for redistribution of health care dollars to social services and safety net programs. 10…”

Intentionally Designing Communities for Health and Well-Being: A Vision for Today

“…Many emphasize the social determinants of health addressed across this symposium. 11 In Virginia, the Department of Health, during my tenure as Commissioner, attempted to try to visualize the impact of the social determinants geographically. We asked: How impactful are those determinants in any given area?…”