Essay on Psychological Determinants of Health

I had an interesting debate with a few of my classmates. Some of them believed that there are some diseases, which are psychological, and their existence cannot be proven. One of them mentioned that the uncle died when he found out that he had stage one cancer. He died of stigma and not the disease. Our psychological status determines our approach to health. Having empathy can achieve towards the wellbeing of service users; in medicine, it is critical to treat patients with tender loving care, and this applies to not only nurses but doctors, technicians, clinicians and everybody else in healthcare.

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Social Determinants of Health

One of my neighbors was suffering from a heart condition. He did not get the support from his family and friends. I would like to think that they had forgotten that they had a sick man in the house who needed a lot of attention for him to get better or even live longer. Social determinants provide the ill person with emotional reassurance and a safe place to recover and discuss their medical issue. They need to be assisted so that they can also provide help to other affected people. They also get better faster when they realize that someone cares about their health. Social interaction between a medical practitioner and a patient is a critical determinant of healthcare. Medical professionals should be able to make their patients feel at ease and comfortable to share their life stories.

Cultural Determinants of Health

My childhood friend and her family went to visit Africa two years ago. They realized that most people hold their beliefs in as far as causes of diseases are concerned. They believe that there are not prone to some diseases because they are strong. Their culture treats some conditions as external, and therefore the infected are excommunicated. It is a taboo for a person to test positive for HIV/AIDS. Their culture blocks them from going to a hospital and believes that the witch doctors can do enough in providing the required treatment. I understood that it is important to influence culture in the bid to provide excellent healthcare for communities to understand the importance of healthcare service. Culture allows for opportunities for both genders- a woman working is nothing new. However, there are cultures where a person will not agree to be treated by a woman.

Socio-economic Determinants of Health

I had a neighbor who was suffering from cancer. The husband had lost his job three years ago. Treating cancer is of course very expensive. The family had to organize for a series of funds drive in the bid to collect enough funds that would be used in financing his medication. I realized that income and wealth, which are part of socio-economic factors, determine the quality of health care service that a person can access. Without stable and high income, the only alternative left is insurance, which in most cases does not do much. My neighbor eventually died due to lack of enough funds to finance her treatment. Recently I had to maneuver around being a student and working, and this was challenging a bit for me because I had never been in such a situation before. However, I appreciate the experience; the lessons learned because it will make me a better person.