Disease Ideology and Mental Health Research

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Abstract
The belief system underlying medical science has been applied to more and more social problems. The disease model is sketched as an ideology having important consequences for mental illness research as well as treatment and public policy. New definitions of mental illness are noted. These definitions have in common the premises of overt behavior judged as deviant in relation to a social situation; and none of the definitions assume a disease process. Research propositions, generated from other frames of reference, are advanced. These propositions are thought to demonstrate that research of relevance to social and behavioral science could result, if the hidden assumptions of the disease ideology are replaced with other notions.

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