Mental health National health policy

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Mental health
National health policy 2008
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A state of mind that hinders an individual to analyze their potential, in terms of regular
life functioning and socially, could be called from suffering from mental illness. The current
situation of mental health in Australia indicates that a total of 40 % of Australian experience
some sort of mental disorder in their lifespan (Hatch, Winefield, Christie, & Lievaart, 2011). The
survey conducted by ABS in 2017-2018 it was indicated that approximately 4.8 million Austrian
which is a total of 20.1 % of their population is suffering from some sort of mental disorder. The
report published by “Royal Australian & New Zealand College of Psychiatrists” (RANZCP) for
the year 2014, the total cost of the severe mental disorder was approximately 56.7 billion dollars
(The Department of Health , 2014).
The national health policy introduced in 2008 was intruded with the primary focus of the
mental wellbeing of the Australian population by providing a framework for early intervention
along with the aid in recovery (McGorry, Bates, & Birchwood, 2013). The other objective of this
policy is to make sure that the population suffering from some sort of mental disorder, should
have the availability of required treatment along with that the removal of social stigma attached
to a mental disorder (Reavley & Jorm, 2011).
The development of mental health policy in Australia could be divided into three periods,
that are July 1993 to June 1998, July 1998 to June 2003 and July 2003 to June 2008. The
initiation of the policy was first introduced in March 1991 by the agreement of the Australian
government for the rights and responsibilities for mental health. In the year 1992 April, the
health department first agreed to the context of national health policy. The year of 1993 July first
witnessed the five-year agreement for the mental health, the first-ever countries mental health
report was published in March 1994, and the final evaluation of the 5-year work was presented
on 1997 December. Subsequently, the second plan for the five years was introduced in

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Australia’s health care agreement. The period of July 2003 to June 2008 witnessed much activity
in terms of release of national mental health plan for the period of 2003 to 2008, COAG mental
health plan 2006 to 2011, reevaluation of national mental health policy in the context of
Australian government along with the overall evaluation of National mental health plan. The
primary focus of the policy is on the increase in government engagement towards the issues
regarding the public mental health and mental wellbeing (The Department of Health , 2014), (Di
Mattia & Grant, 2016).
The policy in 2008 primarily integrated the framework for the mental health of working
individuals along with the impact of various physical fitness programs and healthy eating habits
on the mental health of an individual. The focus for the mental wellbeing of working individuals
as they are generally at the risk of some sort of mental disorder, and do not report about their
condition in the fear of losing their job (Anaf, Baum, Newman, Ziersch, & Jolley, 2013).
Continuous reference has been made in the mental health policy 2008 regarding the
responsibility of the employer towards the worker's mental health issue, which was initially
ignored by the employer. The role of carers in the recovery of a person suffering from mental
health disorder has been recognized by the policy and support program for the wellbeing of
mental health, which provides them much needed breaks from their service that have been
introduced in the policy of 2008 (Rowe, 2012). The national health policy delivered a tactical
framework for the regulation of mental wellbeing, which included communal insertion,
strictness against wrongful judgment, ferocity and economic involvement. The current policy
majorly focuses on the funding for the underprivileged which was not present in the earlier part
of the policy (Barton, Robinson, Llewellyn, Thorncraft, & Smidt, 2015).

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The primary targets of the policy are the individual who is underprivileged and cannot
afford any sort of mental health help on their own, such as homeless people and the people who
have suffered severe trauma or suffering from a chronic illness. The policy also recognizes the
fact that the community belonging to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander were at the higher
risk of suffering from some sort of mental disorder in the comparison of rest of the Australian
population (Dudgeon, Calma, Brideson, & Holland, 2016). The policy also considers the
problem associated with the mental health of the early teenage group and the elderly people due
to the respective stage of their life. However, improvement in the policy is required in terms of
targeting the improvement in a particular group by recognizing their individuality. The policy
also indicates that the approach of the policy towards any community or the group will be based
on the cases of that group and the directive of the policy will be tailored based on the needs
(Evans, Howlett, Kremser, Simpson, Kayess, & Trollor, 2012).
The primary stakeholder in the mental health policy is the medical professional either
working in the public or private sector for the wellbeing of mental health, the families of the
patient suffering from a mental health disorder, the administrative staff involved in the
policymaking process, the various organizations working for the advocacy of mental health. The
collaborative effort of these individuals and group are required for the care and wellbeing of the
patient suffering from a mental health disorder (Gee, Dudgeon, Schultz, Hart, & Kelly, 2014).
One of the challenges faced by the policymaker is the moral judgment regarding the
methodology applied for the treatment of the individuals. The individuals involved in the
assistance of patients suffering from mental disorders sometimes tend to be judgmental and that
hinders their focus towards their work. It was very important that the policy should organize and
brings together different sector of the society that are affected by the mental health issues, the

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social circle and the close circle of the individuals. The collaborative effort of these individuals
helps in the advancement of recovery along with the implementation of an early intervention
program (Slade, et al., 2014).
The revised framework of the policy helps the government to provide a holistic approach
to the issues related to mental health. The increase in the reform for the health sector especially
in the context of public health is a step taken by the government for the management of various
aspects involved in the wellbeing of the mental health of the Austrian population. The primary
areas of the focus by the government in the context of the mental health reform sector are in the
clinical area and the field of community support service (Bird, Leamy, Tew, & Slade, 2014). The
policy related to the mental health of the population has targeted its aim towards the native
culture along with the collaborative effort of the Aboriginal population and its tradition. The
recognition should be made to the native population along with the right of status and culture.
The policy takes into consideration that improvement in the social and physical environment has
a positive effect on the mental health of the person (Happell, Platania‐Phung, & Scott, 2011).
The policy provides sufficient evidence that intervention subsequently followed by the
assessment of the program process and its outcome for under privilege persons. The policy also
works as a directive for the regulation of the impact of mental health, community and local area
that plays a vital role in the mental growth of an individual.
The policy primarily takes under consideration the interest of the Australian that are
affected by the mental health with a special emphasis on the Aboriginal population and children
that are majorly underprivileged. There are various solutions to the problem of mental health
based on the condition of an individual. The solution for the mental health problem covers the
avoidance of early intervention by making corrections available along with continuous care with

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a special effort for the prevention of relapse (Mihalopoulos, Vos, Pirkis, & Carter, 2011). The
primary focus of the treatment and recovery of the individual is on the goal-setting that would
provide a renewal in the person's perspective towards the meaning of life along with the purpose
of life. The mental development of an individual should be substantial enough that they could set
the goal in the community along with the ability to efficiently pursue those goals. However, the
policy needs improvement regarding the scope and coverage the whole population so that the
situation should be handled at the community level before reaching a state, where an individual
needs the help of a medical professional, also the policy should cover the wellbeing of the carers
and the close relatives of the person who is suffering from the mental health issue (Nepal,
Brown, Ranmuthugala, & Percival, 2011).
Mental health policy states that it is a responsibility of the various institutions working in
the field of mental health, that they should provide an efficient solution to the various problems
arising due to the mental health issue. The sector should analyze the social atmosphere of an
individual, and provide a specifically tailored approach based on the evidence and the need of an
individual, that would respond effectively for the individual. It shows the importance of the
stakeholder in the field of mental health wellbeing and a prime factor for the success of mental
health policy. For the implication of these policies, the stakeholder must recognize the problems
of society and diagnose as many as the population that requires professional help in the case of
mental health issues. The stakeholder should make an effort so that the individuals could take
control over their daily affairs to bring a positive change over their overall growth in bodily,
mental and community wellbeing. Moreover, the stakeholder should target to initiate the
intervention at the early state that would help in the reduction of the symptoms associated with

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mental health along with improvement in the difficult situation, hence reducing the mental health
issue.
The mental health policy also makes sure that the individual with a mental health issue
should get ample medical care even at the medical services that are not governed by the
government organization, also urges the peers for the support of individuals that are suffering
from such disorder. The policy also assists the individuals suffering from some sort of mental
disorder in the area of housing settlement. The perspective of the policy is for the betterment of
the society on a whole so that mental health of overall society could be improved, along with the
regular reform in the policy so that appropriate conditions could be included in the policy as per
the emergence of a new problem and the need of a particular society. The aim of policy to serve
every individual that is suffering from some sort of mental illness and in the need of medical
assistance will get the support and the basic need, along with the emergence of an idea in
individual for self-care and recovery. Among the various effort made by the government, a
special emphasis is made in the policy for the social inclusion of the communities, with an
especial interest in the communities and the individuals who are at the brink of social exclusion
such as the people that are experiencing homelessness, the various tribes either Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander peoples and the underprivileged/disadvantaged children.
The measure of the success or the failure of the policy is a combinational result of various
governments and the private sector must be aware of the mental health issues that an individual
could suffer. Also, an effort should be made towards the program development for equality at the
communal level. The main aim of the policy is the promotion of awareness regarding various
mental health disorders and the special need of the care for the individual suffering from some
sort of mental disorder. Effort should be made along with the health care in the other areas of life

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that are related to the individual social and communal environment. That plays a major role in
the social wellbeing and mental wellbeing of an individual. The policy has provided
breakthroughs in the field of mental health development. With the improvement in the overall
growth of individual social and mental wellbeing also an effort was made for the inclusion of
various parts of the society which was earlier neglected. However, there is still a need for
improvement in the policy in terms of coverage of a healthy population so that the situation of
mental health problems should not arise in them.

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Reference
Anaf, J., Baum, F., Newman, L., Ziersch, A., & Jolley, G. (2013). The interplay between
structure and agency in shaping the mental health consequences of job loss. BMC Public
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Barton, R., Robinson, T., Llewellyn, G., Thorncraft, K., & Smidt, A. (2015). Rural and remote
perspectives on disability and mental health research in Australia: 2000–2013. Advances
in Mental Health, 30-42.
Bird, V., Leamy, M., Tew, J., & Slade, M. (2014). Fit for purpose? Validation of a conceptual
framework for personal recovery with current mental health consumers. Australian &
New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 644-653.
Di Mattia, M., & Grant, J. (2016). Counselling psychology in Australia: History, status and
challenges. Counselling Psychology Quarterly, 139-149.
Dudgeon, P., Calma, T., Brideson, T., & Holland, C. (2016). The Gayaa Dhuwi (Proud Spirit)
Declaration–a call to action for aboriginal and torres strait islander leadership in the
Australian mental health system. Advances in Mental Health, 126-139.
Evans, E., Howlett, S., Kremser, T., Simpson, J., Kayess, R., & Trollor, J. (2012). Service
development for intellectual disability mental health: a human rights approach. Journal of
Intellectual Disability Research, 1098-1109.
Gee, G., Dudgeon, P., Schultz, C., Hart, A., & Kelly, K. (2014). Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander social and emotional wellbeing. Working together: Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander mental health and wellbeing principles and practice, 55-68.

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Happell, B., Platania‐Phung, C., & Scott, D. (2011). Placing physical activity in mental health
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Nepal, B., Brown, L., Ranmuthugala, G., & Percival, R. (2011). A comparison of the lifetime
economic prospects of women informal carers and non‐carers, Australia, 2007.
Australian Journal of Social Issues, 91-108.
Reavley, N. J., & Jorm, A. F. (2011). Stigmatizing attitudes towards people with mental
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Slade, M., Amering, M., Farkas, M., Hamilton, B., O'Hagan, M., Panther, G., et al. (2014). Uses
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systems. World Psychiatry, 12-20.
The Department of Health . (2014, August 19). National mental health policy 2008. Retrieved
April 2, 2020, from The Department of Health :
https://www1.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/mental-pubs-n-pol08