A) How do you think that social context may have an influence on whether someone receives this diagnosis?

(250-600 words)

I must state that in my opinion one of the most important factor from the biopsychosocial perspective, if not the most important is the environment. In addition, by environment I will include everything that surrounds an individual because that is how I see it: family, friends, community, city, country, and etcetera. I live in Romania, a country not that well developed, especially in term of thinking. Even to this date, it is believed by the majority that if you go to a psychologist you must be insane, not to mention the psychiatrist. Because of this way of thinking, people are avoiding to seek help so their chance of recovery is drastically minimized. Because of the stigma that may derive from seeking professional help, many people do not choose to do so and even parents are ignoring the signs of a declining mental health in their children, guided by the principle what will my neighbor think? The one thing I am scared about is the depression among teenagers. I believe that is a worldwide problem that leads to many victims because people do not take it seriously enough. If the parents do not observe the signs or they ignore them thinking is not something serious or are afraid of the social stigma I have mentioned, the consequences may be extreme. One other cause rather than stigma that may lead the parents to ignore their childrens symptoms is the idea that he is behaving like this because of his age, it is a phase, and it will pass. Dont you think it is better to be sure and check with a specialist? Because I strongly believe it is. It is important to find out what is going on in your childs life, because for them every little thing that for you is not important, to your teenagers may mean the world. The most common issue among young people is related to self-image. The stereotypes created nowadays by the media about a certain type of beauty put a big pressure on the everyday teen. This may lead to various types of eating disorders among teens, especially girls because of the desire to be thin and consequently beautiful. This type of prejudice can easily turn into something dangerous. The desire of being thinner and thinner may lead to severe loss of self-esteem that will eventually lead in depression. For those reasons, parents should be actively involved in their childrens life and notice every change in their behavior because there may be underlying problems that, if caught in time, may prevent occurring consequences. Another problem that we can find in Romania that prevents the population from getting a diagnosis for their problems is an expensive health care that because of the poor economy does not come accessible for everyone, so the people are not paying attention to their mental health because it does not come as a priority. In conclusion, although it is hard to put aside the preconceptions, I strongly believe that you should weight in the positive and negative aspects of seeking specialized help in order to receive a proper diagnosis for you or your children and eventually you will see the right path.