Social inequalities and the distribution of common mental disorders

Social inequalities and the distribution of common mental disorders David Melzer, Tom Fryers, Rachel Jenkins (eds) Maudsley Monograph 44. Psychology Press 2004 ISBN 1 84169 385 5

While the relationship between physical disease and relative deprivation is widely accepted and understood, there is an enduring perception that mental illness is a random misfortune. In fact, as this latest monograph in the Maudsley series shows, across the spectrum of mental health problems, prevalence is strongly associated with social position. Being unemployed or economically inactive, poorer material circumstances, less education, physical health problems and adverse life events all predict increased risk of the most common disorders: typically anxiety and/or depression. Based on a systematic review of nine large-scale population studies, Melzer and colleagues demonstrate that, contrary to the Royal College of Psychiatrists' slogan 'Every family in the land', it is...