Identifying and Developing Strategies for People Suffering from Mental Health - Term Paper Example

Identifying and Developing Strategies for Meeting the Unmet Needs Facing Young People Suffering from Mental Health Name Institution Introduction Approximately, one in every five people in Australia has in their lifetime affected by mental illness(Mental Health, 2001). Mental illness affects all people in the society irrespective of their age, sex, religion, political affiliation, and social class. The mental problem experienced ranges from minor symptoms such as substance abuse disorders, depression, anxiety, and long-term conditions such as chronic depression, schizophrenia, and anxiety disorders(The Mental Health of Prison Entrants in Australia [electronic Resource], 2012). Mental illnesses have significant impacts to the affected individuals, their families, carers, and the larger community. The effects range from social, psychological, and economic impacts due to the condition. However, most of the Australian population affected by mental illness lack adequate access to the provision of quality, and affordable mental health services(Issues in Nursing by Specialty, 2012). Therefore, this paper will analyze in detail the unmet health needs of the young adults affected by mental illness in the Australian society. The analysis will analyze the issue with both the young adults from the aboriginal and non-aboriginal communities in the society. The essay will begin by identifying in brief some of the factors predisposing the young adults to mental illnesses, ways of identifying the unmet health needs of the young adults in the society, and strategies that can be adopted to ensure that these individuals have equal access to universal mental health care promoting their health. The success of this paper depends on information obtained from different research sources used to weave ideas that identify the health challenges facing the young adults in the society. The young people form a larger portion of the Australian population. This reflects the high rates of people affected by mental disorders in this age group. Some of the factors that contribute to the high rates of mental illness among this population include those having past history of mental illness, genetic predisposition, being single, divorces, drug, and substance abuse, low levels of education, and high peer pressure among other factors (Mental Health, 2001). According to(Jones, Jones, Fitzpatrick, & Rogers, 2012)the prevalence of age population affected by mental illness declines with age. The females form the majority of the population affected by mental illness in both the aboriginal and non-aboriginal Australian communities(Trauer, n.d.). From the above percentage of youth affected by mental disorders in Australia, female youth have better health seeking behaviors(40.7%) than men (27.5).The health seeking behaviors in this age group include utilizing health care from professionals (60.8%), and psychologists (37.7%)(Issues in Nursing by Specialty, 2012). However, this percentage does not correlate with the projections stated in the Australia Mental Health and Wellbeing Policy of 2012(Mental Health, 2001). Therefore, this necessitates the need for establishment of effective interventions to be adopted to identify the unmet health needs of the young people affected by mental illness and strategies for eliminating barriers to universal healthcare access and utilization(Meadows et al., 2012). Ways of identifying the unmet needs of young Australian people affected by mental illness One of the ways that the organization should adopt as a means of identifying the unmet needs of the young people affected by mental illness among Australian aboriginal and non-aboriginal communities is conducting a community assessment(Elder, Evans, & Nizette, 2009). Community assessment entails determining the underlying factors preventing the young people from effectively utilizing mental health services in the country. Therefore, the health care providers need to understand the basic principles of conducting community assessment effectively(Elder et al., 2009). Community assessment of the unmet mental health needs of the young people in the society comprises developing community partnership with the involved authorities. This helps familiarize the youth in the society the assessment needs and builds trust between the participants. At the course of community assessment, focus of the assessment is developed to enhance specificity(Mental Health Atlas 2005, 2005). Activities such as determining the kind of information to be collected from the youth, and ways of using the collected information is done to understand the needs of the young people affected by mental illness in the society(Australian National Bibliography, 1978). Consequently, this leads to the realization of the felt, unmet needs of the young people affected by mental illness in the society. The health organization gains adequate knowledge that will be used to understand the youth public health issues contributing to poor utilization of the mental health services(Mental Health, 2001). Additionally, the health organization is able to learn in detail about the young people mental health priorities, concerns, and assets that can be utilized to increase utilization of health care services and minimization of mental illnesses among the youth. Organizations can also adopt the use of multiagency approach to identify the unmet mental health needs facing the young Australian population. Multiagency approach focuses on building personal relationships with the youth, and sharing experiences and felt needs that should be addressed to enable universal utilization of mental health services(Australia’s Health 2012, 2012). (The Mental Health of Prison Entrants in Australia [electronic Resource], 2012)states in his book that provision of screening services helps organizations identify the factors that contribute to their ineffective utilization of the mental health services. Screening enables organizations and young people identify needs that are essential to eliminate the deficiencies and facilitate effective utilization of mental health services. Population needs measuring helps organization identify the unmet needs of the youths affected by mental illness in the society(Arney/Scott/Stanley, n.d.). The process encompasses three procedures that include epidemiological assessment, comparative assessment, and consultative needs assessment approaches. Epidemiological assessment focuses on using the young people’s knowledge of their unmet mental health needs. Comparative assessment focuses on contrasting the effectiveness of services provided to the youth, which may influence services utilization. Consultative approach assessment operates on the principle of synthesizing the young people demand, perspectives, and wishes on the nature of their felt deficient needs(Arney/Scott/Stanley, n.d.). Steps that will aid organization meet the identified unmet needs faced by the young people suffering from mental illness One of the steps/strategies that should be adopted to enhance the elimination of the unmet needs facing the young people affected by mental illness is supporting young people, practitioners, and community member training on issues related to mental health(Barker, 2008). Provision of training services ensures that the young people gain adequate knowledge and skills required for the identification, prevention, and management of mental illnesses(Jones et al., 2012). Providing training opportunities to the health care providers ensure that they will be able to provide mental care service in diverse environmental settings. Consequently, this improves young people, community members, and healthcare providers’ abilities to assess and treat young adults with mental illnesses(Remschmidt, Nurcombe, Belfer, Sartorius, & Okasha, 2007). Improving access and availability of healthcare services minimizes the incidences of presence of unmet mental health needs among the youth. Improved access is achievable through the adoption of multi-sectorial approach to address to the inequalities(Mental Health, 2001). This includes schools, community based organizations, and primary care systems collaborating in assessing the needs of those affected by mental illnesses and helping them acquire their diverse needs. Collaborating with these organizations provides a means for pooling the available local resources, screening, assessing, and treating young people suffering from mental illnesses(Trauer, n.d.). Other ways of enhancing access to the healthcare services include providing parental, peer, school, and community education on various issues related to mental health, hence creating awareness among the population. Consequently, these interventions will reduce the unmet needs faced by the young people suffering from mental illnesses in Australia(Elder, Evans, & Nizette, 2012). Adoption of the person-centered approach of managing mental illnesses among the young people will help identify and respond to their unmet needs. This is achievable by ensuring that mental health care outcomes are appropriate to the patient’s age and condition, effective, and have long-lasting outcomes to the affected in the society(Meadows et al., 2012). The person-centered approach allows the young people have great sense of flexibility, control over their condition management, choice, and designinterventions for meeting their needs. Consequently, the young will be able to identify their roles, abilities, and establish relationships that will help them meet their deficient mental health needs(Meadows et al., 2012). Adopting strategies that improve mental, social, and emotional wellbeing of the Australian young people will help eliminate unmet mental health needs. This entails improving public awareness to mental health issues, and coming up with well-structured institutions that facilitate young people recovery from challenging and stressful situations(Ramon & Williams, 2005). Additionally, strategies such as supporting the development of mental health symptoms management systems, developing social, emotional, and mental well-being programs help reduce the unmet needs faced by the young people suffering from mental illnesses(Mental Health Atlas 2005, 2005). Strategies aiming at preventing mental illness among the young people help eliminate the unmet mental health needs faced by them. This entails creating awareness among the young people on factors contributing to mental illnesses, risks, prevention, and management(Australia’s Health 2012, 2012). Therefore, the first step in preventing mental illnesses among the young people is identifying the geographical location at risk. Provision of the target programs aiming at creating awareness on the risks and effects of mental illnesses follows(Grigorenko, 2012). Other strategies aiming at preventing mental illnesses include educating workers and institutions on the need for daily support for young people at a risk of developing mental related illnesses, and expanding interventions that aim at minimizing substance abuse among the young people(Issues in Nursing by Specialty, 2012). Conceptually, developing strategies that focus on early detection and management of mental health conditions help minimize the presence of the unmet needs among the young people. Early detection and management of mental health conditions reduces the severity, recurrence, duration, and social, economic, and psychological disadvantages associated with mental illnesses(Statistics, 2008). Therefore, strategies such as improving mental health literacy, and collaboratively creating awareness aiming the youths reduce mental health related unmet needs and illnesses. Other steps that the Australian government should embrace to facilitate the promotion of health of the youths suffering from mental illnesses include improving access, costs, and availability of high quality mental health services and support, and improving socio-economic participation of the young people suffering from mental illnesses(Australian National Bibliography, 1978). Conclusion From the above analysis, it is evidently clear that mental illnesses among the young people in Australia are one of the health challenges facing the country. Factors such as lack of adequate awareness, social isolation, and psychological implication of the mental health conditions influence the utilization of the mental health services. Therefore, it is high time that the organization needs to invest much of its resources in eliminating the existence of the unmet mental health needs among the Australian population. However, it is acknowledgeable that this essay has not analyzed the issue of the unmet needs response in its full depth. Therefore, it is highly recommended that further studies into the topic be done. References Arney/Scott/Stanley. (n.d.). Working with Vulnerable Families. Cambridge University Press. Australia’s Health 2012: The Thirteenth Biennial Health Report of the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. (2012). AIHW. Australian National Bibliography. (1978). National Library Australia. Barker, P. (2008). Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing 2nd Edition: The craft of caring. CRC Press. Elder, R., Evans, K., & Nizette, D. (2009). Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing. Elsevier Australia. Elder, R., Evans, K., & Nizette, D. (2012). Psychiatric & Mental Health Nursing. Elsevier Health Sciences. Grigorenko, E. L. (2012). Handbook of Juvenile Forensic Psychology and Psychiatry. Springer. Issues in Nursing by Specialty: 2011 Edition. (2012). ScholarlyEditions. Jones, J. S., Jones, J., Fitzpatrick, J. J., & Rogers, V. L. (2012). Psychiatric-mental Health Nursing: An Interpersonal Approach. Springer Publishing Company. Meadows, G., Farhall, J., Fossey, E., Grigg, M., McDermott, F., & Singh, B. (2012). Mental Health in Australia: Collaborative Community Practice, Third Edition. OUP Australia & New Zealand. Mental Health Atlas 2005. (2005). World Health Organization. Mental Health: New Understanding, New Hope. (2001). World Health Organization. Ramon, S., & Williams, J. E. (2005). Mental Health at the Crossroads: The Promise of the Psychosocial Approach. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. Remschmidt, H., Nurcombe, B., Belfer, M. L., Sartorius, N., & Okasha, A. (2007). The Mental Health of Children and Adolescents: An area of global neglect. John Wiley & Sons. Statistics, A. B. of. (2008). 2008 Year Book Australia No. 90. Aust. Bureau of Statistics. The Mental Health of Prison Entrants in Australia [electronic Resource]: 2010. (2012). AIHW. Trauer. (n.d.). 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