Social Problems - Chapter 9

Health

A state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being.

Infant mortality rate

The number of babies, of every 1,000 born, who die before their first birthday.

Life expectancy at birth

The number of years, on average, people in a society can expect to live.

Chronic disease

An illness that has a long-term development.

Acute disease

An illness that strikes suddenly.

Social epidemiology

The study of how health and disease are distributed throughout a society's population.

Epidemic

The rapid spreading of disease through a society's population.

Socialized medicine

A medical care system in which the government owns and operates most medical facilities and employs most physicians.

Direct-fee system

A medical system in which patients or their insurers pay directly for the services of physicians and hospitals.

Health maintenance organizations

Private insurance organizations that provide medical care to subscribers for a fixed fee.

Prenatal care

Healthcare for women during pregnancy.

Disability

A physical or mental condition that limits everyday activities.

Mental disorder

A condition involving thinking, mood, or behavior that causes distress and reduces a person's ability to function in everyday life.

Psychotherapy

An approach to mental health in which patients talk with trained professionals to gain insight into the causes of their problems.

Deinstitutionalization

The release of people from mental institutions into local communities.

Dorthea Dix (1802-1887)

Advocated that people with mental illness should be cared for in an asylum.

Sigmund Freud (1856-1939)

Pioneer in the study of psychoanalysis and mental health.

1981

The year when AIDS was first identified as a medical condition.

2010

Affordable Care Act - Obama’s Health Care Law that extended healthcare coverage to everyone.

2019

Republican tax reform, Removed penalty for not having health care.

1990

National Institutes of Health created the Office of Research on Women's Health.

1990

Americans with Disabilities Act prohibits discrimination against those with disabilities.

1964

Civil Rights Act legislation that sought to end discrimination.

1997

Definition of disability expanded to include physical and mental disabilities in the Americans with Disabilities Act.

2010

Congress increased protections for those with disabilities.

2019

COVID-19 is recognized as a significant health issue.

2020

COVID-19 global pandemic declaration

1963

Community Mental Health Centers Construction Act - Legislation aimed at building community mental health facilities.