*had to dig deep into the archives for some books*

As part of my program, I am required to take two sociology electives to balance out the heavy psychology coursework.

Psychology, as I have come to understand it, is about the individual — who they are, and why they behave the way they do. Sociology, on the other hand, steps back to look at the collective — what society is made up of, the issues it faces, and the structures that shape and sustain it.

This past spring, I took a course called Sociology of Mental Health, which I fell in love with.

From a psychological lens, mental health is often explained in terms of individual experiences — family upbringing, relationships, trauma, or other personal events that shape a person’s inner world. The focus tends to lean toward clinical topics like diagnosis, treatment, and pathology.

From a sociological perspective, however, mental health is viewed through the lens of collective experiences — wars, pandemics, economic crises, cultural traditions, social institutions, and even the policies that govern us. It asks: how do social structures and historical events impact our collective sense of well-being?

On the very first day of class, our professor explained that thinking sociologically means:

Distinguishing between private troubles and public issues,
Understanding how individual thoughts and behaviors are shaped by historical context and social position, and
Using data to support and explain these relationships.

Throughout the semester, we examined six major public issues related to mental health, each one explored through a different book. Below, I share those six books and the societal themes they helped illuminate.

1. Deaths of Despair and the Future of Capitalism by Anne Case and Angus Deaton

*My copies of book 1 and 2 - Deaths of Despair and Already Toast*

This book is written by two economists who use statistics to show that majority of middle-aged white Americans, mostly men, are dying from deaths of despair - deaths from suicide, overdose, and alcohol.

The book explores why this is affecting white middle-aged Americans and

not those in Britain or
Blacks, Hispanics or
women - yet they experience the same pains or other types of pains.

It argues that the key factor that determines who is affected by this unique American phenomenon is not race, age or gender but whether or not one has a bachelor’s degree…the cohort currently affected is middle aged white men. This group cannot get jobs either due to globalization (cheaper foreign labor) or technological changes (cheaper with machines), and end up falling into despair. In class we discussed factors that might buffer despair - a sense of community (religious or otherwise), marriage (which might be out of reach for many) and civic engagement. The authors offer some ways these deaths can be reduced - creating more social safety nets, making healthcare affordable and making college education accessible to all.

2. Already Toast - Caregiving and Burnout in America by Kate Washington

*Already Toast - love the toast on the cover*

Kate Washington uses her experience as a wife and mother of two young children whose husband was diagnosed with cancer to talk about the unpaid, emotional, and gendered labor of caregiving. She shares how she ‘suddenly’ moved from wife and life partner to caregiver; managing her husband’s healthcare – without any training - while juggling their children, the household, and doing kinwork (giving regular updates to the rest of the family).

The book looks at how lonely and isolating caregiving is, how people only think about the mental health of the person who is sick and not the caregiver’s wellbeing, how there is a cultural expectation for women to automatically give care – and not complain, ask for compensation or take time away. It also touches on how the person giving care loses touch with what is happening in the outside world and how most end up suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress. In class we discussed sandwiched caregiving or the panini generation – people who are taking care of their kids and their parents at the same time. The author gives resources for caregivers and lists organizations that are currently advocating for training and compensation for caregivers.

3. The Happiness Effect: How Social Media is Driving a Generation to Appear Perfect at Any Cost by Donna Freitas

*got an e-version from the school library*

Donna Freitas interviews college students from a couple of universities and colleges, ranging from religiously affiliated to those that are not, about their social media use. From the book, and class discussions, we learnt that most young people equate their worth to the number of likes they have on social media. We also saw that social media is mostly gendered - women/girls participate more on social media while men/boys are more into video games.

The book also looks at cyberbullying (stating that bullying is in the ‘eye of the beholder’), hook ups (apparently do not happen as much via social media) and platforms that allow users to be anonymous (students prefer them because they give them a space to be authentic, they are do not risk their brand especially as they prepare to get into the job market, give them an element of control). In class we discussed how this sense of control is false and how social media creates anxiety as people live in an anticipatory mood.

Students who identified as religious in the book mentioned that their faith is buffer for what they post as well as where their identity comes from. In class we mentioned no wifi zones, teaching people mindfulness and how to think critically, and having phone baskets as potential ways of helping young people to reduce the amount of time they spend on social media (interestingly, during the intro week for the Sociology of Mental Health class, the professor made it clear that she runs a no laptops/electronic device in class ship - in hindsight, with all the discussions we did, it was worth it).

4. The End of Burnout: Why Work Drains us and How to Build Better Lives by Jonathan Malesic

Jonathan Malesic was a university professor who left his job because of burnout. In the book he shares part of his journey as he explores what causes burnout and what work really means to us today - it is not just a source of income, it is our source of identity, purpose, social status. He also mentions that most people burn out due to exhaustion, cynicism, and sense of ineffectiveness. When looking at the nature of work from a historical lens, he mentions that there was a time, and still in some spaces today, where burnout seems fashionable (hello hustle culture)

Solutions given at the end of the book, plus from our class discussions, include the need for a cultural shift about work and dignity/purpose, the need for flexible working conditions including remote work, flexible hours, four-day week, mental health days, universal basic income and automation/machinery - I love how he ends the book ‘let the machines burn out’

5. Children Under Fire: An American Crisis by John Woodrow Cox

John Woodrow Cox uses the stories of two children, Tyshaun from an inner city in D.C, whose dad was shot and killed, and Ava from South Carolina who lost a classmate through a school shooting. From their stories, we see the similarities of what they, and those left behind/survivors, go through and also see the differences in who receives what type of support and who doesn’t.

In class we discussed the need to move the conversations from gun violence and gun control to gun trauma and focus on the survivors and those left behind. We also talked about how underestimated gun violence is, as neighborhood violence and suicides rarely make the count. From the book we also see how social class affects which incidents are reported and which groups get support – and the type of support they get.

We also watched a film on Newton which shows how individuals and the community tried to cope and move on after the school shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newton, Connecticut.

6. And the Band Plays On: Politics, People and the AIDS Epidemic by Randy Shilts

This 1987 book by San Francisco Chronicle’s journalist, Randy Shilts, gives a journal like account of the discovery and spread of the HIV/AIDs pandemic, putting into account global events/developments from the Congo, France and other Europeans countries as well as U.S, particularly in the gay communities in New York and the Bay Area.

*...as usual trying to eat as I read...and listen to lofi*

We get to see how the U.S government, the media and the medical/scientific community was not keen to do much especially since most people thought that it was a ‘gay disease’ and therefore not worth studying or funding. In class, we did a comparison table between Long COVID and the HIV/AIDs pandemic and saw similarities in the fact that the world is moving on, those with the illness are basically ignored, the impact the illnesses have on family relationships and the loss of work.

I enjoyed learning about mental health from a sociological lens as we looked at various public and historical issues. As mentioned at the beginning of the post, thinking sociologically calls for us to move away from just looking at the individual but to also consider the greater society that they are a part of. It calls for research/empirical data to help clarify if the issue is private/individual or a public one. It also involves looking at historical and contextual information - as well as existing public structures and gaps in the system.

I look forward to the Research Methods class through which I will learn how to do my own research.

Until the next post,

Sending love and light,

Sitawa

The Six Books That Introduced Me To Sociological Thinking - In Mental Health