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Proceedings of the annual meeting of the Southern Anthropological Society

Abstract

Mental health is a contemporary issue of key concern among academics and policymakers, especially due to the exacerbation of mental health issues with the COVID-19 pandemic. Increases in mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, suicide, opioid overdose, and youth depression are the subject of research and governmental-allocated grant funding and new policies have been put in place at multiple institutional levels. We utilize a political economy framework to understand the incidence of mental health disorders and explore how new programs and policies have been implemented in Georgia to address and support mental health at various institutional levels, such as the Georgia Mental Health Parity Act which took effect in July 2022. However, the focus on individual mental health and well-being can also be a distraction from real systemic issues that strain mental health, including poverty and inequality, thus framing a structural problem as an individual one. While we agree that mental health issues are a major societal concern and need to be addressed, we also recognize that the emotional and mental distress that people are experiencing are often very normal responses to social problems. In this interdisciplinary study, we examine mental health challenges and responses at multiple institutional levels in South Georgia.

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