Socioeconomic class, classification of ‘abnormal’ behavior and perceptions of mental health care

Summary The oft‐cited relationship between socioeconomic status and rates of mental illness was investigated in terms of lower‐class perceptions of certain‘disordered’behaviors and the sources of help, if any, thought relevant to these behaviors. It was hypothesised that certain types of behavior and perceptions of the environment which might be abnormal in middle‐class society are perceived as quite normal in the lower‐class world, and that lower‐class respondents will tend to describe such behaviors and perceptions as normal or only slightly extreme. It was further hypothesized that lower‐class living conditions lead to the development of an informal network of mutual aid relationships and a tendency to seek formal, professional mental health care facilities only for concrete and extreme examples of abnormal behavior. Data were taken from interviews with working‐ and middle‐class female respondents residing in two small West Texas towns. Perceptions of mental illness and care for such illness were elicited by seeking response to five examples of behavior patterns considered indicative of mental disorder by mental health professionals. Two other questions dealt with source of treatment respondent would use if she developed an emotional problem, and the source of information respondent would use to decide where to find help for an emotional problem. It was found that lower‐class respondents, more frequently than middle‐class respondents: tend not to define certain forms of deviant behavior as mental or emotional incapacities; tend to suggest informal rather than formal sources of help for these deviant behaviors; tend not to suggest using professional mental health specialists for treatment of emotional disorders; and use informal sources for information concerning treatment of emotional problems.