Study title

The study aimed to gain insight into the ways that narratives of self-responsibility were taken up and embodied - or alternatively, resisted - within economically disadvantaged communities; the ways that these narratives and associated welfare reforms impacted on mental distress; and the way that these narratives interconnected with the medicalisation and pathologisation of poverty-related distress. (1) The study involved sixteen focus groups with ninety-seven participants (aged 18-65) from economically disadvantaged communities to establish the source and impact of narratives of self-responsibility within people’s everyday lives (36 men, 61 women). (2)Fifty-seven low-income residents (aged 18-65) who had experienced poverty-related mental distress were also interviewed (26 men, 31 women) to understand the cause(s) of their distress, and their responses to this. Participants who were receiving mental health treatment at the time of the study, and participants who wanted more time to discuss their experiences were interviewed on two occasions (total interviews n=80), enabling us to track responses over time and facilitating the triangulation of data. All lived on low-incomes. Whilst not specifically asked to define their status in terms of class, people commonly defined themselves through characteristics or inferences usually associated with being ‘working class.’ (3) Interviews with General Practitioners (n=10) working in low income areas were undertaken to understand their experiences and the challenges they faced supporting mental health amongst patients experiencing poverty, and their perceptions of current treatment options. The provision of effective treatment and support for mental distress is a stated aim of the Department of Health and civil society organisations e.g. Mind. Yet despite a stated need to tackle health inequalities, current strategies e.g. Closing the Gap: Priorities for Essential Change in Mental Health (DoH 2014), frame mental distress as...