The Importance of Maintaining the Mental Health of the Adolescents - Term Paper Example

Australian Adolescents: the Impact of Mental Health on the Future Purpose of the Report Mental health is one of the most critical aspects of healthcare. Healthcare providers, especially the nurses who spend the majority of their professional time in contact with their clients, know that catering to the mental needs of the people is vital in maintaining the optimal health and well being not only of the few but of the community as a whole. With this awareness, this report will identify the importance of maintaining the mental health of the adolescents as part of the Australian community and how the ability (or inability) of the individuals, health professionals and organizations in providing the needs of this specific group can affect the health and well being of the greater population and vice versa. Introduction If people discuss about mental health needs, they commonly anticipate the necessity of therapeutic interventions such as hospitalization and therapy. However, mental health care does not only refer to the treatment needs of a mentally-ill population. These care also account for promoting mental health, preventing illness, early intervention, rehabilitation, and recovery services. Mental health care needs change as a person advance from one stage to the next across the lifespan. Therefore, an adolescent’s mental need is apparently different from a child’s or an adult’s needs; and this uniqueness basically center on their being in a period of critical development from being a “dependent child into a dependable adult” (Mowrer, 2007, p. 97). Nonetheless, environmental factors, socioeconomic characteristics, knowledge and attitudes, health behaviours, and individual makeup can either have negative or positive effect on an adolescent’s, their families’ and the healthcare professionals’ ability (or inability) of promoting and maintaining mental health, and preventing and treating illness. Definition of Terms Primary Health Care - According to the World Health Organization, primary health care is essential health care that “incorporates personal care with health promotion, the prevention of illness and community development” (“Primary Health Care,” n.d.). It “is a term used to refer to the parts of the health system that most people interact with most of the time” (Commonwealth of Australia, 2008). Background As the human body functions, the mind so too; and like the rest of the body, the human mind is also at risk of many conditions that can affect behavior, mood, thinking, memory, and perception. Subsequently, “disturbance in day-to-day activities, work, and relationship with important others (social and vocational dysfunctions)” result (Sreevani, 2007, p. 3). Because of this, mental illnesses are now considered as a threat of increasing concern, particularly those that develop early in life (childhood through adulthood) since poor mental health has been identified to have an extensive adverse effect on the current lives of the young; “notably lower education achievements, substance abuse, violence, and poor reproductive and sexual health” (Patel, Flisher, Hetrick, & McGorry, 2007, p. 1302). According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (2007), 7% of the total number of Australian children has developed mental and behavioral problems. This has resulted to an increase in delinquent, antisocial, and conduct issues affecting not only the individuals, their families, but also the society at large. Suicide-related problems, including mortality, have also become worse. A study by Boyd, Aisbett, Francis, Kelly, Newnham, and Newnham (2006) has found a particular area of concern. As reported, rural adolescents in Australia, especially the males, make up a large part of those who have poor mental health or mental illness (Boyd, et al., 2006, p. 3). This study and a few others more, in turn, have related the effect of depressed social, economic, emotional and intellectual environment to the development of the young members of the society as well as the accompanying social stigma and the help-seeking behaviors of those who are already affected (Commonwealth of Australia, 2009a, p. 27; Boyd, et al., 2006; Rickwood, Deane, Wilson, & Ciarrochi, 2005). As a result, collaborative programs like the National Mental Health Strategy and the Fourth National Mental Health Plan have been formulated to guide individuals, healthcare providers (physicians, nurses and alike), and other organizations in promoting mental health and providing mental health services (Commonwealth of Australia, 2009b). Discussion The young members of the society, specifically the children and the adolescents, are believed to be the future of a nation. Indeed, their ability to function individually and as a part of the community will largely determine the status of the society. This principle has invisibly become the basis of the current policies and government actions that promote optimal health and well being of the young. In Australia, where currently live the healthiest generation of children in the history (Patton, Goldfeld, Pieris-Caldwell, Bryant, & Vimpani, 2005), authorities, including individuals and organizations from both public and private sectors, continue to search for and formulate the most efficient policies and services that can further improve the indices mental health as mental illness has become “one of the leading causes of non-fatal burden of disease and injury” affecting good health (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW), 2006, p. 97). Despite such efforts, national, state and local leaders of change as well as “the health care professions, especially those engaged in primary care” must know that every policy and action such as the National Mental Health Strategy and the Fourth National Mental Health Plan will be deemed useless unless they “think about and act on broader, often nonbiomedical, determinants of population health while also attending to needs of patients for individual care” (House & Roux, 2005). Studies have supported that there is indeed a significant difference in the cognitive development and mental health behaviors of the individuals from the different social and economic class. Young individuals of the impoverished and lower socioeconomic groups tend to suffer more from the stresses that result from the lack of financial resources than the adolescents with families and of communities with a decent and comfortable living situation. Taylor, Page, Morrell, Carter, and Harrison (2004) noted that the inability to go to school, unemployment of their parents or their selves, and the physical, emotional, and psychological abuses that are common in the populations that root from this poverty make these adolescents more vulnerable to “psychological disturbance” (p. 491). As a result, harmful coping mechanisms develop among youngsters. Substantial threat to self, to the members of the family and the rest of the community, and inability to fulfill responsibilities as a family member, as student or as an employee then result (Sharp, Hargrove, Johnson, & Deal, 2006). Worse, interventions which would have helped those who are suffering from these situations are not initiated because of barriers that prevent access to health care. Expectedly, these will have direct or indirect consequences on the country’s social, cultural, and economic development. The World Health Organization (n.d.) pointed that policies and services on providing health care generally must be based on “the social and economic environment, the physical environment, and the person’s individual characteristics and behaviors.” These are said to benefit authorities in selecting what approach or strategy will or will not be effective for providing the care needed by the specific population. Through the initiating primary health care, primary health care providers, especially the public health nurses, should be efficient in assisting the community in “understanding the importance and role of mental health and well being” of the adolescents and the rest of the population as well so that the social stigma that comes with mental illness will be significantly reduced. The collaborative, educative and leadership roles of the nurses in the primary health care setting (Australian Nursing & Midwifery Council (ANMC), 2005, pp. 1-2) will specifically aid in implementing the interventions identified and approved by the Australian Health Ministers’ Conference in the Fourth National Mental Health Plan which is committed to coordinating the different sectors of the community in providing services that will allow an environment of health care system that will keep the “people well and participating in life and work, rather than just looking after people when they are sick” (Roxon, 2008; Commonwealth of Australian, 2009b). Recommendations The nurses’ roles in advocating and implementing primary health care policies and programs related to mental health is essential in achieving the goals and the success of the authorities in ensuring a better future for the coming generations by promoting optimal health and wellness and preventing illness. As they assist in providing the services formulated by the strategies imposed to promote adolescent mental health, nurses should apply evidenced-based care in implementing related interventions in each level of the nursing process. Relevant nursing procedures learned through theory and practice must be utilized in catering the overall health needs of the individually, intellectually, culturally, socially, and economically-unique population (ANMC, 2005). Registered nurses, who act as the main mediator between authorities and organizations, and the healthcare recipients, should also take into consideration proper collaborative actions engaging the appropriate individuals, groups, and agencies in providing valid and accurate primary health care while actualizing an educated environment and ultimately improving the health for and of the community by working on the determinants of health (ANMC, 2005; “Primary Health Care,” n.d.). Conclusion Awareness of the true condition about mental health and its importance can generate a list of benefits not only for the affected individuals and the community but also for the workers employed to create change in the existing conditions. However, improvement will not be attained unless proper management and interventions are established to act on the contributing factors which have constituted to such inequality in health. With proper knowledge in primary health care and the policies involved, nurses and other health professionals and organizations can assist the rest of the community in promoting mental health and preventing illness among current adolescents; and thus, establishing a better foundation for the future Australian nation. References Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2007, February 15). Health of children in Australia: a snapshot, 2004-05. Retrieved from http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/mf/4829.0.55.001/ Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. 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