Social Determinants and Indigenous Perspectives in Mental Health Legislations: A Comparative Study of England and Pakistan
Keywords:
Biomedical model, Mind-body dualism, Social determinants of mental health, StigmaAbstract
A diversity in the socioeconomic, cultural, and healthcare landscapes exists between Pakistan and England. Within Pakistan, mental health is speckled with stigma alongside poor mental health infrastructure. On the contrary, despite having a better, advanced, and developed healthcare system in place with relatively less stigma afforded to mental health, England’s mental health legislations are not inclusive due to the exclusion of different cultural and indigenous understandings of mental health in the Mental Health Draft Bill (2022) for example. This is a further portrayal of the underrepresentation of alternative understandings of mental health. Despite these disparities, the rationale for adopting a comparative approach is to develop a nuanced understanding of mental health along the lines of the biomedical model and social determinants of mental health by studying the mental health legislative documents of the former colonizer and colonized states. This can further allow one state – Pakistan – to learn from the strengths of the other – England – and in the process help add to the existing broader understanding of mental health.
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