Victorian Mental Health Act - Assignment Example

Name: Tutor: Course: Date: Victorian Mental Health Act 1. Briefly describe the concept of mental illness as defined in the Victorian Mental Health Act Mental illness refers to a medical condition which disrupts a person’s mood, ability to feel, think, relate to others and also disrupts his or her daily functioning through diminished capability of coping with normal life demands and duties. According to the act, an individual is considered mentally ill whenever he or she has a mental illness, being a medical condition that is characterized by a significant disturbance mood, thought, memory or perception (Legislation). According to section 8 of the mental health act, a person qualifies to be detained as an involuntary patient and subjected to involuntary treatment if: the individual shows signs of mental illness and requires immediate treatment which can be administered through involuntary treatment in order to protect the members of the public or prevent deterioration of the individuals mental or physical condition. Involuntary treatment may also be administered if an individual is unable to consent or has refused the necessary treatment for mental illness 2. Identify the key features of the Mental Health Act The Victorian mental health act provides a legal framework for the treatment, protection and care of individuals with mental illness or disorders. The metal heal act allows the psychiatrists, nurses, social workers and also the psychologists to make medical assessment order which allows for an adult or a child to be detained for up to 72 hours in order to be assessed by a professional psychiatrist. The act also establishes the procedures for initiating involuntary treatment and independent review of mental cases (Legislation). Other key features include the emphasis that the Victorian mental health act provides on the requirement and rights that treatment should be offered in least possible intrusive manner in an environment that is least restrictive. Furthermore, the mental health act requires that interference with the privacy, rights, self- respect and dignity of individuals with mental illness must remain minimal. 3. Briefly discuss the history, social, political and economic context of mental health in Australia Although the mental illness services have a coordination that is far from ideal, the Australian mental healthcare is among the best in the world. The poor coordination is due to the fact that the services are developed separately by each Territory and State, and by various independent general practitioners, private psychiatrists and other non-governmental organizations. The primary role of the Commonwealth government within the national mental health strategy is to ensure coordination of the major issues in system and structural reforms of the mental healthcare system (Healy, Sharman and Lokuge). Also, Australia has a well developed community mental health service which is complemented by well organized ambulatory services. Until the mid-20th century, individuals had to pay for their own health care or take out insurance with sickness funds. The constitutional amendment of 1946 enabled the Commonwealth to provide health services and benefits without interfering with the States powers in this sector. Also, in the late 1990, the Australian Federal government increased their support for the private sector by introducing measures to stop the falling membership in voluntary private health insurance schemes. Since 2000, Australia has been spending about 9.7% of its GDP on health care. The mental healthcare takes about 7% of the total health allocation. Most of the medical services are subsidized through a universal health insurance scheme. Furthermore, nearly 70% of total Australian health care funding usually comes from the public sources especially taxation while the remaining 30% is provided by the private sector. Over the past few years, the commonwealth health funds have principally raised (Healy, Sharman and Lokuge). However, there still exists non-government health funding which is usually derived from what is commonly called out-of –pocket payment. Australia has a national health care funding system whose main aim is to give universal access to health services while still allowing a choice for individual with financial capabilities through a substantial private sector involvement in financing and delivery. 4. Identify how nurses can support the rights of the consumer with mental health issues Mental health care nurses can help in supporting the rights of consumers with health issues through promotion of physical activities and also legitimizing the incorporation of such activities within the mental care planning. After assessing a patient, a senior registered nurse can remove a person from seclusion as stipulated in the mental health act section 3B. However, this can only be done if the individual in question has met all the criteria specified by the act and poses no danger to the general public. Nurses can also prevent the members of the police force from exercising any form of criminal judgment on the mental state of the individuals suffering from mental disorders. Additionally, nurses can support individuals with mental illness especially those who are not capable of taking care of themselves through involuntary treatment programs. 5. Explain your understanding of the significance of the national and state/ territory mental health policies and strategies. The state, territory and the national mental health policies and strategy aims to prevent new developments of mental disorders and at the same time promote the mental health status of the entire Australian community. The policies and strategy also aims at reducing the impact of mental illness on families, individuals and the community in general. Furthermore, the policies assures individuals with mental disorders of their rights, enables them to recover, detect and where possible prevent mental illness at an early stage and also ensure that all the Australians with mental disorders and illness have access to efficient, appropriate and effective community support and treatment that will enable them to fit in the society and take care of themselves. 6. Identify how you can work in a manner that reflects an understanding of the underpinning values and philosophies of mental health care and is consistent with legal obligations To practice effectively as a Mental Health specialist in the Australian Mental health care system, one needs to have extensive training in the specialty and be certified by the regulatory body or Specialist College. Knowledge and experience in community mental health services is also of key importance. Timely access of the mental health service and medicine the many people require at a cost that is affordable to community and individual will also give one an advantage. There is also a need to increase the ability of individuals with mental illness to actively participate in employment, community, training and education through increased access to stable accommodation as this will reduce prevalence risks and enhance quick recovery. B) Community activities program to organize appropriate places for outings small client groups 1. Identify how stereotyping and stigma can be associated with mental illness and how to best manage the program in a manner which minimizes the effects of negative behaviors and discrimination. The lives of majority of the people who have been diagnosed with mental illness are often altered drastically by the medical condition and also the reaction of the society. The symptoms of the mental illness can be mitigated through undertaking several measures. However, there is inherent discrimination and stigma that is usually associated with the mental disorders that sometimes manifest in a number of subtle and may persists for a lifetime. In many occasions, these stigmas take the form of distrust, stereotyping, avoidance or fear and usually negatively affect the pursuit for treatment of mental illness and employment. Persons with mental illness are frequently labeled as according to their socio- economic status, behavior, and treatment and sometimes due to negative depiction associated with mental illness which is so prevalent in the media. A person with mental illness is commonly stereotyped as unpredictable, dangerous, unreliable and weak- willed. Apart from the stigma and stereotype faced by the individual, the family and friends of the person may as well suffer from the impacts of associative stigma. One of the best ways to manage stereotyping and stigmas is through education especially in childhood years. Our group of nurses’ plan on engaging the community and educating the member of the society on issues related to mental illness. This will create awareness and help in reducing the level of stigma and discrimination that characterize the general public. This will be achieved through provision of educational materials that will engage the audience both intellectually and emotionally in order to increase their levels of contact with individuals with mental illness and be able to fully accept them as members of the society. 2. Briefly discuss how stigma and discrimination can impact on consumers with mental health issues Stigma and discrimination often position its head at the center of market places and workplaces. Many incidences of people who are mentally ill losing their jobs have been reported. Whenever a person is admitted to a mental institution and spends some time there undertaking the treatment, the employer uses it as a scapegoat to fire him or her. This is due to the misconception that the ability of that individual to function normally has been damaged by the illness. Loosing of jobs affects the individuals and their families both psychologically and economically and sometimes affects the pursuit for treatment. Furthermore, stigma leads to loss of responsibility and concomitant credibility loss. Constant rejection and discrimination may eventually make the person to conclude that he or she is unemployable. Research shows that 50 – 61 percent of depression cases occur to unemployed people. This depression may lead to deterioration of the mental state of the individual and development of new complications such as schizophrenia. Although many members of the society tend to doubt the ability and capacity of those with various forms of mental illness, stigmatization can be reduced if the employers and the members of the public are willing to adapt in order to accommodate and facilitate the needs of mentally ill workers. 3. Describe how you would obtain feedback from consumers and carers in adapting your own practice within the field of mental health nursing It is unfortunate that prejudice attitudes are still prevalent in the mental health sector and condescension still reigns among the mental health care professionals. Some case of individuals in critical suicidal mental state being forced to describe their situation and symptoms to several individuals before receiving proper treatment have been reported. This process is both debilitating and often frustrating to the patient. To obtain direct feedback from consumers with mental illness, we plan on participating in communal mental healthcare services and visiting our clients in their places of residence in order to assess how they are responding to treatment. Several interviews and surveys will also be conducted within the community to address the pressing issues. 4. Discuss your understanding of the consumer's right to contribute to their own care planning and how you would support the participation of carers in treatment planning Consumer’s right to contribute to their own care and planning means that they can actively participate in policy and strategy formulation. This process builds the consumer’s confidence in the healthcare system and makes it easy for them to strongly support a good provider of health care and above all ensure an excellent provider- consumer relationship. Furthermore, the consumer rights support and emphasizes on the importance of the role of the consumer in ensuring they have the responsibility with regard to general health improvement. The carer will have the right to receive accurate information that is easily understandable about the health care, health plan, health care facilities and health professionals. If either the consumer or the carer speaks another language, have mental or physical disability or there is something he or she does not understand, relevant assistance shall be provide to enable them make a well informed health care decision and actively participate in the treatment planning. The consumer will also enjoy absolute right of choosing a health care provider of his or her own choice and also enjoy the privileges of knowing the treatment options that are available at a given instance. Works Cited Healy, Judith, Evelyn Sharman and Buddhima Lokuge. "Australia: Health system review." Health Systems in Transition 8.5 (2006): 1-178. Legislation, Victoria. "Mental Health Act." Mental Health Act. Vol. 058. 098. Victoria State, 24 August 1986. Read More