Mental Health in Australia - Report Example

RUNNING HEAD: Briefing Paper on Mental Health Mental Health in Australia Name: Instructor: Course Unit: Date: Introduction: For the past decades the issue of mental health disorders in Australia has become a “hot-potato”. Despite the fact that, mental health disorders are found globally and observed by individuals of all nations, as well as by women and men of various ages and socio-economic classes, and in both urban and rural settings, within Australia the issue of mental disorders has been solitarily the prevalent origin of disability accounting for virtually thirty percent of the impede of non-fatal illness. Also according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (2001), every one out of six individual’s it had analyzed had encountered one or more mental disorders in the past 12 months. This has an implication that, I, you and others are not exceptions from this problem. This briefing paper therefore labours to elaborate what is meant by the term mental health; explains how mental health and mental illness can impact on human rights and social justice; evaluates the impact of Australian social policy in the area of mental health and mental illness; and then expresses an adequate understanding of Australian social policy in the area of mental health/ mental illness and relates the effects of these social policies to social work practice. Mental Health: The indispensable aspect of mental health is apparent from the World Health Organization the definition of health is; "...a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity." (1946, p. 100). This has an implication that mental health is a fundamental part of the description of health. It is more than the absence of mental disorders, for the reason that it refers to “ .....a state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community” (WHO, 2005). From this constructive intellect, mental health is the groundwork for well-being and successful functioning for, an individual and a society, in other words lack of mental health leads to lack of health. This core perception of mental health is constant with its extensive and varied understanding across cultures. Mental health promotion comprises of different approaches, all targeted at achieving a constructive effect on mental health. Similar to health, mental health promotion engages accomplishments that make existing conditions and settings to sustain mental health and tolerate individuals to take on and uphold healthy standards of living. Mental health and mental health disorders are influenced multiple and relating socio-economic and environmental aspects; for instance, social justice, psychological, and biological factors, typically as in health and infections in most cases. The obvious indication is related with markers of poverty, as well as low levels of education, and pitiable household income. Escalating and enduring socio-economic demerits for communities are renowned risks to mental health. The bigger susceptibility of underprivileged individuals in every society to mental health disorders could be enlightened by such dynamics as the occurrence of insecurity and despair, rapid social change, and the risks of aggression and physical ill-health. A society that reveres and looks after its fundamental communal, political, socio-economic and cultural rights is also essential to mental health promotion. Devoid of safety measures and self-determination made available by these rights, it is extremely complicated to uphold a far above the ground echelon of mental health. Mental health is associated to behaviour, in that social, mental, and behavioural health disorders might interrelate to increase their consequences on behaviour and health. The impacts of mental health disorders include; substance ill-treatment, brutality, and abuse of women and children. To appreciate the meaning of mental health from the social worker viewpoint, one is necessitated to recognize the ideas of both health and mental health. These include population health approach; medical model; sociological model and bio-psycho-social model. The population health approach is a conceptual agenda that emphasizes existing reactions to mental health promotion and prevention, early intervention and treatment of mental health problems. According to the Commonwealth Department of Health & Aged Care (2000, p. 21), a population approach to mental health then, endeavours to give an all-inclusive variety of high-quality, integrated health promoting and illness care services, at the same time as determined to achieve equity of health status, health resource allocation and health service access and utilization across the population. Mental health relates to sensations, contemplations and behaviours and is for a while referred to social and emotional wellbeing. The medical model and the sociological model are two perspectives of health that hold influence in some mental health and mental illness services in Australia. These models are mostly integrated in most organizations which distinguish their retort to mental health as appropriate in an instant on a continuum involving a ‘medical’ and a ‘sociological’ understanding of mental health/mental illness. A bio-medical model distinguishes health as a status that is without charge of disease. It is defined by the non-existence of an illness, that is, a bio-chemical alteration in the individual upsetting the body or mind. In comparison, a sociological model of health relates to more than basically a non-existence of illness. It recognizes the condition of being healthy as a state of well-being where one is physically, emotionally, spiritually and culturally contented. Indeed it identifies involvement of social dynamics to health and ill health, as well as dearth of basic human resources, supremacy, access and wellbeing. It for that reason it fits well within the population health approach. The medical model accepts that mental health is the non-existence of a definite infection. In this model, mental illness originates from an organic problem, positioned inside the person and entailing suitable evaluation, diagnosis and treatment. While the sociological model context of mental health, supposes an individual to be more than basically existing than without charge of mental illness. Such perceptions reflect on the context of mental health concerns and look at social aspects that could have a say to health & ill health. The bio-psycho-social model is the ideal expression applied by numerous mental health services at the moment when unfolding the conjectural supporting of practice responses. Fundamentally, it situates itself a midst the continuum between a bio-medical model and a sociological model of health. It inquires about extending partnerships across multidisciplinary line-ups to present a case management approach to medication, social supports, counselling and advocacy. Once more, this is a model of health that is harmonious with many of the values and ethics of social work. The social construction perspectives put forward an approach of distinguishing mental health and mental illness as the product of societal beliefs and expectations more willingly than plainly an organic based illness. Viewpoints concerning the causation of mental illness, the social inference of particular behaviours and cure preferences differ significantly across cultures, times and communities. Indeed the meaning of mental health differs across services, nevertheless it is commonly implicated that mental health and mental illness can be taken as points on a continuum. A point in midst of that continuum are ‘mental health problems’. Impacts of Mental Health and Mental Illness on Human Rights and Social Justice: Every part of human rights is firmly rooted in the intrinsic self-esteem of all individuals, as acknowledged by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The stigma extended towards individuals with mental illness is the foremost hindrances to the provision of care to these patients. Stigma does not end at illness alone, but it also encompasses the patients themselves, their families, establishments that offer treatment, psychotropic medicines, and mental health employees. Stigma is an outcome of a record of mental illness as an ethical limitation and a situation that unconstructively impinges on level-headedness. In the same way, perversion of individuals with mental illness as treacherous has prejudiced the Australian society and legislators to not only enact limitations beside the emancipation of individuals with mental illness but as well to have turned their backs to mistreatments and discrimination of these individuals, therefore impacting on their human rights and social justice. Majority of individuals with mental illness are undressed of their legal human rights and property, abused and ‘store-housed’ in undignified circumstances. In some care homes and prisons mostly individuals with mental illness are intimidated with electric shock actions, frequently as reprimands and devoid of approval. Others are prescribed to potent nerve seizing drugs that result into permanent brain and nervous system smash up making them sluggish, lethargic and less attentive. What’s more and hurting is that, some individuals are battered and sexually abused, all in the pretence of “psychoanalysis.” Mental health/illness stigma has had a devastating effect on for instance the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders from exercising their social liberties and in the regions of education and employment, due to the stigma myths and delusions linked with mental illness. What’s more is that stigmatization can lead on hindering the mental ill individual from accessing proper care, mixing with the community and recuperating from the illness (Hunter, 2004). The shutting down of the homes of mental ill individuals, due to the implication that they can not care for themselves did not only strip-off their human rights but also worsened the situation, to include among others prevalence’s of diseases like tuberculosis, the deadly HIV/AIDS, drug abuse, victimization and increased mortality (Ibid). Mental ill Australia women are not only one of the majority underprivileged clusters in society, but moreover undoubtedly one of the most marginalized, abandoned, excluded and secluded. They have been disregarded in the federal government legislation, policies and programs. Their concerns and requirements are always given a deaf ear, inside services and programs from corner to corner of all sectors. They are barred from social engagements intended to press forward the position of women, and the position of people with mental illness (Frohmader 2002). This definitely has impacted on their rights and other social justices that they ought to be enjoying as natives of Australia. Besides, due to mental wobbliness, divorce and prohibition from marriage has turned out to be the widespread occurrence. Consequently, women are for the most part deprived of the right to adopt or take charge of their children. Such a norm is more rampant in rural Australia locales compared to urban situations. In consequence at the moment, it is quite unmistakable that social cultural aspects and disparate supremacy relations significantly encourage and threaten human right violation for women undergoing mental illness. The mental health disorders have driven most children and youths to the streets due to thus denying them a right to food, shelter, clothing and education. The causative of this homeliness could be attributed to neglect by their parents and guardians, due to unemployment, and poverty has made them to result into survival sex, binge drinking and trauma and depression which has further locked their potential to exercise their human rights. Poverty and social exclusion have been well recognized as risk factors for mental disorders in Australia; for instance the case of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, who live in the poor earnings factions, are less educated, are faced with acute economic intricacies (e.g. unemployment), and are faced with huge debts and hardships in acquiring basic requirements for survival. These inevitably have resulted into much superior possibility of experiencing mental disorders. Consecutively, these rendering inoperative consequences of mental disorders have impaired the capability of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to seek for and maintain industrious employment. Furthermore, the mental disorders have impoverished these individuals thus denying them the right to public utilities like good schools, and better hospitals (Lawrence & Coghlan, 2002). The Burdekin's report, which was released 17 years back, offered very derogatory verification that Australia's handling of individuals with mental illness contravened the United Nations standards. Majority of individuals experiencing mental illness were being deprived of their fundamental human rights in hospitals, detention centres and even the community (Burdekin, 1993), Impact of Australian Social Policy in the Area of Mental Health and Mental Illness: In the past ten years mental health support appears to have just tripped from the countrywide political schema in Australia. The country was beforehand well thought-out an intercontinental top quality in mental health promotion (Heinonen & Metteri, 2005). Nevertheless it has of recent turned its attention on 'down-stream' therapeutic results (Ibid). The correlation involving mental and physical health and the means by which health behaviours are nurtured by social situations has taken a negative trend. The physical health of individuals with persistent mental illness, who have for the record the most awful health of any assemblage, is also lost in this focus. Elementary alterations to health-care policy in Australia have led to an enhancement in the degree to which crisis workforce approach into contact with individuals inflicted with mental health disorders. The establishment of the National Mental Health Policy 18 years back offered the spur for momentous transformations to mental health services in the country’s health-care system. Mainstreaming of services was an essential attribute of these transformations, changing the prerequisite of long-established mental health care from devoted institutions to incorporation and co-location with conventional all-purpose health services and community locales. Such transformations to mental health service deliverance have been very challenging for health-care employees across numerous authorities. The decentralisation of mental health services has facilitated the emergence of augmented turnout at emergency units and to emergency medical services by individuals with mental health disorders. Health care human resources from various disciplines have detailed observing themselves as missing the handiness and proficiency to give apposite care and therapy to these individuals. The implication of this is that, health-care human resources, particularly social workers and emergency workforces are more and more obligated to handle an array of individual’s of mental health disorders, which turnout to be time and again intricate and persistent in character. In Queensland, legislation has lately undergone key amendment aligned with nationwide and global reform in the provision of mental health services. The Queensland Mental Health Act 2000 is, generally the key legislative tool controlling involuntary treatment and protection of individuals with mental illnesses in Queensland. It provides for the involuntary evaluation, psychotherapy, and protection of individuals with mental illness while simultaneously safeguarding their rights. Though it focuses on the features of mental illness that cannot be compacted in other legislation, it does not exclusively present for voluntary psychotherapy of mental illness. The imperative intend of this act is hence to decrease the stigma related with mental illness. The Australian social policy in the area of mental health/ mental illness and how it links to the effects of social policy to social work practice: The work-related contentment of serving individuals, realizing change and enhancement, and advancing their development has essential connotations for social workers' behaviours in their line of duty, their aspiration to carry on in their work, as well as their participation in the profession and with their clients. The decentralisation of mental health services has facilitated a greater than before vulnerability to operational situations affecting on psychosocial and physical well-being. Burnout is experienced to be more at hand in rural Australia where social workers practice in seclusion, with inadequate opportunities for management and support among co-workers. This does not bode well with the social workers’ intention of mental health promotion. It even exacerbates further the barriers to the implementation of effective and respectful clients’ participation in mental health services. In short the mental health policy in Australia at present has left the social workers helplessly as they are trapped between two divergent forces - an augment in the capacity and greatness of service requirements and an ever-contracting resource support for those they serve. Conclusion: It is obvious from above that mental health is an abandoned feature of human well-being, which is confidentially attached with loads of other conditions of community health significance. It is also identifiable that the resources for mental health are inadequate, lacking, and unevenly disseminated. It is also clear that there is by now a strong support base on which to scale up mental health services, for instance the Queensland example. Of importance is that, there are significant examples to learn from past achievements and failures, these examples include, these; in support of political leadership and precedence setting, for escalating pecuniary support, for decentralising mental health services, for integrating mental health into primary care, for rising health workers trained in mental health, and for reinforcement of public health viewpoints in mental health. At the end of the day, any call to achievement requires a crystal clear set of pointers to evaluate development at nation wide level. References: Australian Bureau of Statistics (2001). National Health Survey: Mental Health, Australia. Canberra: Australian Bureau of Statistics. Burdekin, B. (1993). Report of the National Inquiry into the Human Rights of People with a Mental Illness, (1) & 2, Canberra: AGPS Commonwealth Department of Health and Aged Care, (2000). “Changes in Australia's Mental Health Services under the First National Mental Health Plan of the National Mental Health Strategy 1993-1998,” The National Mental Health Report 2000. Canberra. Heinonen, T. & Metteri, A. (eds.) (2005). Social Work in health & mental health: issues, development & actions. Toronto, Ontario: Canadian Scholar’s Press Hunter, E. (2004) Mental Health. In N. Thomson (ed.) The health of Indigenous Australians, Melbourne: Oxford University Press pp. 81-84 Fischer, P.J., Shapiro, S., Breakey, W.R., Anthony, J.C., Kramer, M. (1986). “Mental health and social characteristics of the homeless: A survey of mission users,” Public Health, 76. pp. 519–524. Frohmader, C. (2002). 'There is no justice - there's just us. The status of women with disabilities in Australia'. Women with Disabilities Australia. Rosny Park. Lawrence D, Coghlan R. (2002). “Health inequalities and the health needs of people with mental illness”, NSW Public Health Bull, (13), pp. 55-158. World Health Organization (1946). “Preamble to the Constitution adopted by the International Health Conference”, New York, United States. World Health Organization (2005). “Promoting Mental Health: Concepts, Emerging evidence, Practice”: A report of the World Health Organization, Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse in collaboration with the Victorian Health Promotion Foundation and the University of Melbourne. World Health Organization. Geneva. Read More