COU202A Mental Health and the Community

Introduction

Mental health, defined by WHO states that it is a state of wellbeing in which an individual has a stable mindset and is aware of their potential, capable of dealing with the various stresses faced throughout life and by being productive and being beneficial to the community. An effect on mental health can harm the overall health of an individual by making them more prone to depression, anxiety and stress. Australia has a complex health services structure combined from public and private sectors, with funds being provided by the government. But the availability of these services does not necessarily prove that these services are utilized at its max. Individual’s attitudes towards mental health plays a very crucial role as it determines how the individuals express their own mental health issues and seek help for it (Galderisi, Heinz, Kastrup, Beezhold, & Sartorius, 2015). These attitudes about mental health are derived from one own knowledge gained or from anyone who has suffered from some kind of mental disorders. These attitudes have the capability to produce positive results by providing supportive behaviors, but if these attitudes are dealt in a negative way it can result in discrimination and exclusion of individuals suffering from mental disorders. The report will deal with the current attitudes of Australian population on the mental health with a further discussion on what are the changes that are required to establish a more sustainable mental health system in Australia. Later a discussion on what role is played counselors and psychotherapists in the mental system will be done.

Current Attitudes To Mental Health Australia

According to a research conducted by Holland, it was observed that between 2017-2018, one in every five people in Australia was either suffering from depression or mental health disorders (Holland, 2020). The attitudes of individuals towards mental health earlier was seen as a huge barrier in the treatment as most of the people lacked the awareness required but as gradually a shift in the world is observed with various facilities like Internet being available, the awareness and sensitivity is seen to be increasing towards mental health. Many people are now willing to remove the stereotypes held for years towards the importance of mental health as depression and stress are seem to be becoming the most common problems faced by today’s generation. A survey done by the National Surveys of Mental Health Literacy and Stigma concluded that there has been a decrease seen among the Australian population wiling to keep a distance from the people suffering from various mental illness. In cases like schizophrenia and extreme depression, occurring of suicidal thoughts still falls into a distant zone because of the unpredictable actions (Holman, 2015). Earlier surveys recorded an opposite observation where people with various mental illness was excluded or avoided but a positive change is observed in the attitude of the people.

In a national survey conducted on the attitude towards seclusion in mental health settings it was observed that most of the participants considered the seclusion as breaching of human rights and triggering the past trauma hence affecting the mental health of the patient. Majority (62%) also believed that introduction of chemical restraint can also trigger the trauma and preferred therapeutic approach more affective (Kinner, et al., 2017). The group which did not support the idea that seclusion could worsen the situation was the health professionals. While majority also believed that seclusion and introduction of chemical restraint could provide safety to the others and the staff dealing with mental illness patients. In the end the research done by Kinner, could conclude that seclusion is still viewed as a negative aspect for the mental health patients and an elimination of these practices was preferred by majority of the Australian population. Emotional restraint was considered the least effective as it did not improve the situation or the mental health of the patient (Kinner, et al., 2017).

A survey conducted by C.Y.Hsiao, on the attitudes of nurses towards mental health patients showed that negative attitude could be observed among the nurses and especially towards patients of substance abuse and major depression. A more positive attitude was seen in the older nurses who had experience in dealing with the metal health patients, these nurses showed much more empathy when compared to the other younger nursing staff. After this observation it can be considered that an introduction of programs promoting mental health awareness is very crucial for the broadening of mind-set of people towards mental health (Hsiao, Lu, & Tsai, 2015).

However, from the above conducted surveys it can be observed that there are still many differences in the attitudes of people towards mental health. An awareness is still developing among the population of Australia with the introduction of various programmes. Introduction of Mental Health Month (October), by the Mental Health Foundation Australia is a step in the promotion of mental health awareness as it is very crucial for the Australian population to raise this awareness for it is estimated that in the future every 1 out of 2 individuals in Australia will be suffering from mental illness (Gibbons, Thorsteinsson, & Loi, 2015). Programmes like these will not only help in saving the people from various mental disorders and depression but it will also help in change of the attitudes of the population towards mental health.

Changes Required For Sustainable Mental Health System

Mental Health seems to be of increasing importance with the uncertainty created by COVID-19 pandemic as situations like lockdown, social distancing and economic breakdown are affecting the mental health of a vast number of population of Australia. These concerns are being taken up by introduction of various mental health care facilities and prioritizing the new mental illness cases. Introduction of these new programs and facilities requires mental wealth, it is the combination of resources for the benefit of people (Fisher, et al., 2020). The expense of families and individual with poor mental health is vast. Mental health in Australia requires an investment that is more focused on the development of determinants that effect the mental health, a much more investment in the policies, clinics and mental health research is required. A change is required in the mental health services provided with prioritizing people suffering from mental illness in spite of the fact where they live and how much they can pay. The aim of the health care system should be to eliminate any equality and discrimination faced by mental illness patients making people flourish. People should receive care without any delay which not only aims in eliminating the symptoms but also creating a healthy environment for a balanced mental health (Mossialos, Wenzl, Osborn, & Sarnak, 2016).

Personalized care of individual determines the effectiveness of the mental health care, goals set on the basis of groups and population cannot be considered. All the power lies in the hands of the funders and the care supporters as they are the one providing the support which puts the power in their hand which narrows down the treatment to unsafe levels. The basic needs like social and family support and financial aids should be valued. This personalized care will help in making the availability of services not only based on the symptoms but also on the feedback provided from the treatment to recognizes its effectiveness. A change in the clinical staging is also required in the mental health system which would allow health professionals to get a more personalized information about the patients hence making it much easier for the treatment of severe cases (Rickwood, et al., 2019). This staging can also involve steps in identifying the patient at risk, as done in other health facilities. Identifying areas that need the most attention can be beneficial in providing the treatment required. Setting up of teams that are community centered to match the community requirements are needed to promote diversity in the health teams. A systematic arrangement of these clinical stage is lacking in the Australia’s mental health system which effects the capacity to conclude what stage an individual is on and the stage he needs to acquire for the further improvement (Hickie, 2019).

The introduction of e-mental health services in Australia after COVID-19 has increased which has created a huge platform for providing support but if observed closely this step was a reaction to the pandemic which brings out the weakness in the structure as it could have been a planned strategy to give a platform to the mental health issues (Meurk, Leung, Hall, Head, & Whiteford, 2016). These services tend to provide care but are not yet focused in the support provided, it still demands for the system which meets the needs of the individual on purpose rather than being detected by accident (Magson, et al., 2021). Introduction of various techniques to have an approach on the regional level is required, to make the population aware about the facilities that are available for their mental health benefits and this awareness can only occur with the contribution of government making policies that target the consumers. These changes can be seen being implemented in the various areas but are still insufficient in providing a stability in the mental health of the population.

Counsellors Role In Current Mental Health System

Counsellors and psychotherapists are the leading solution to the increasing mental health conditions. 4.3 million Australian populations have received prescriptions from the counsellors for their occurring conditions. Psychotherapists on the other hand are also considered a major support to the mental health system in Australia by providing various facilities to population suffering from extreme depression, anxiety, schizophrenia and addictions. Counsellors has played a major role in helping the people deal with issues ranging from depression to isolation caused by the pandemic. It was estimated that in 2018 over 27027 psychotherapists were registered. In the situation of the pandemic and the deteriorating mental health of the Australian population the counsellors and psychotherapists are taken as most important for they help the individuals deal with the various traumas (Valibhoy, Kaplan, & Szwarc, 2017). There are various non-profit organizations that provide counsellors like Anglicare, Relationships Australia and many other organizations. These non-profitable organizations are providing vast enormous facilities in the mental health system by targeting high risk groups and dealing with issues like sexual assault and family violence. A great number of new theories have been introduced by these Australian counselors for the better treatment of the patients suffering from mental disorders. These practices include narrative and a variant of healing theories. There are various aspects that impact the growth of counseling in Australia. The first is the geographical areas, the availability of counselors decreases when the rural areas are taken into consideration. Web based counseling services are seen to be developing in areas which are in a need but are not easily accessible.

An emergency telephone line established in 1963 for counseling is yet considered the largest support in the times of crisis. The second aspect is the diverse mixed population of Australia which compromise of immigrants from various countries which demands for a skilled counselling in the area as they are more prone to severe trauma. New developments are observed in the treatment and centers provided to these people (Jorm, 2018). The third aspect is the history of population of Australia who has suffered serious cultural traumas highlighting the need of development in the research done on mental health. This group demands an advancement in the counselling therapies as they are considered much more rigid to the treatments. The counselling and psychotherapists in Australia has emerged and are still in the process to provide the best facilities to the mentally suffering population. It was also concluded that to gain an effective results the traditional ways of counselling and therapy has to be replaced by more standardized treatments which are effective and are well informed.

Conclusion

From the above report it can be concluded that Australia will be witnessing a rise in the population with mental illness but this has also positively affected the attitudes of the people towards mental health. As the rise in these disorders have made people more aware and free from stereotypes that was earlier held towards mental health. There are several changes needed in the current healthcare system with introduction of treatments that are more personalized and are pocket friendly. Fund raisers need to limit their control by considering the severity of the required treatment and also the background check on the patient to determine the things that could lead to worsening of the case. Counsellors and psychotherapists are the major support system with a continuous evolution occurring in the way treatments are carried out. Introduction of treatments provided through internet has created a great impact on the individuals residing in the remote areas as they are now capable of getting counselling in a more appropriate way. Mental health has become target with the occurring of pandemics which eventually leads to financial crisis hence effecting the metal health. Issues like depression and stress has become the most common in today’s youth with the rise in web culture which has the tendency to effect the overall health of an individual hence highlighting the need of counsellors and effective treatments to help in dealing with these life threatening issues.

References

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