Question

Globalization is a double-edged sword. In this context explain how Globalization has affected the mental well being of the different strata of society?

Answer 1

Globalization refers to the increasing interdependence of the world economy as a result of the growing scale of cross-border trade of commodities and services, the flow of international capital and wide and rapid spread of technologies. It is well known that economic globalization is not equally fair among different countries due to differences in power and resources. As for the developed countries, economic globalization brings them more advantages and profits; the developing and undeveloped countries, instead, are often at risk as the developed countries control the rules of an increasingly globalized economy. Economic globalization is often regarded as a double-edged sword.

Globalization and Mental well being
Mental wellbeing is a state of well-being whereby individuals recognize their abilities, are able to cope with normal stresses of life, work productively and fruitfully and make a contribution to their communities. The prevalence of mental disorders is closely related to social, economic and cultural conditions. Mental ill health is occupying an increasingly larger space within the world disease burden.
So far, globalization has affected psychiatric clinical practice in a multitude of ways, which unfortunately do not include a worldwide provision or access to mental health care services:

• Increased ethnic and cultural diversity of service users has led to a wider range of attitudes and beliefs in relation to mental illness.
• Increased ethnic and cultural diversity of service providers has led to a wider range of approaches and beliefs in relation to mental health care.
• In developed countries, increased rates of inward migration have led to increases of migration-associated mental disorders. In rapidly developing countries, socioeconomic changes and life events have led to increases in rates of mental disorders.
• In all countries, the development of technology has led to increased information on a range of health care services, resulting in increased Demand.
• Finally, globalization has contributed to an increased emphasis on the implementation of international protocols in psychiatric training, mental health policy and the protection of human rights of mental patients. It has also resulted into a thorough examination of the concept of social capital and its influence on the mental health of populations.

CHALLENGES

• Rapid changes provide both a threat and an opportunity for the mental health sector. Cuts in government spending represent the most obvious risk, since most psychiatric services are largely either directly or indirectly dependent on government funding.
• On the other hand, demand for psychiatric services, both quantitatively and qualitatively, is increasing.
• The most important challenge of globalization is to deliver mental health services in an equitable pattern, providing equal treatment and establishing equal outcome to our patient population, no matter which part of the world they come from.

In fact, globalization, as it has been implemented to this very day, highlights several crises of different nature: a leadership crisis; a democratic crisis ; an economic crisis ; a spiritual crisis, and, last but not least, a moral crisis.

To achieve globalization of mental health services, we need more studies on the psychological variables affecting mental illness, the provision of a better structure for psychosocial intervention for both developing and developed countries, and a more equitable distribution of world resources.