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Engaging with discursive complexities in mental health accessibility: Implications for acquired brain injury
1School of Social Work, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Sociology of Health & Illness
|October 15, 2024
Summary
People with acquired brain injury (ABI) face barriers to mental health care due to ableist assumptions. This study proposes a new discourse to improve accessibility by recognizing disability
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychology
- Sociology
Background:
- Psychosocial needs of individuals with acquired brain injury (ABI) are often overlooked.
- Ableist assumptions limit access to mental health treatments for people with ABI.
- Existing health and disability frameworks may perpetuate inaccessibility.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine how discursive constraints hinder mental health accessibility for ABI populations.
- To propose an alternate discourse that centers the whole person and challenges ableism.
- To identify pathways for enhancing mental health inclusion for individuals with ABI.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of dominant conceptualizations of health and disability in relation to ABI.
- Exploration of discursive limitations in understanding ABI recovery and mental health exclusion.
- Proposal of a new discourse integrating objective and subjective dimensions of disability.
Main Results:
- Discursive simplifications obscure the complexities of ABI recovery and mental health needs.
- Ableist assumptions create gradients of exclusion within ABI subpopulations.
- An integrated discourse can motivate and guide mental health inclusion efforts.
Conclusions:
- Challenging disabling societal norms is crucial for mental health accessibility.
- Accommodating ABI-related disabilities in mental health treatments is essential.
- Transformative research and practice require recognizing the intermeshed nature of disability and participation.
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