Neurobiology Blog 2 - Social Determinants of Health

Everybody has different things that they have to deal with in life such as living conditions, socioeconomic status, employment, access to healthcare and the list could go on and on. As we evaluate clients and try to figure out the best treatment options for them we need to keep these factors in mind that are referred to as social determinants of health. Social determinants of health are anything in our social environment that could affect our health in some way which could be good or bad. It's things that are going on outside of our bodies that are affecting our body functions, organ functions, or occupational performance. As occupational therapist's, this goes right along with the concept of client-centered, holistic practice of looking at the person as a whole and not just at the problem they are having. A client profile is so important when considering their social determinants of health because we will be able to ask questions to help us get to know the client better personally and any special circumstances that they might be dealing/living with that is causing an observable effect. These social determinants of health could affect our nervous system by adding on excessive stress or altering our sleep wake cycles to where we're not getting the rest that we need to function. Also, the excessive stress could also cause sleep problems, headaches, anxiety disorders, etc.

I believe that the OT program at UTHSC really does a great job at allowing and encouraging us to see  and interact with people that are different than us that might have things under the surface that are affecting their health. Through the hours that we have to acquire of service/professional development we get to interact with people that may have very different social determinants of health compared to our own. Whether they are homeless, live in unsafe conditions, deal with abuse, are health illiterate, have a very physically demanding job, are unemployed, have a disability/take care of someone with a disability, etc., we get to talk with people that come from all walks of life and might have to deal with things that I would never dream of that will consequently affect their health. I'm thankful to be pursuing this career that encourages me to get out of my comfort zone and interact with people that are different than me that I can hopefully help and maybe learn something from in the end.