Mental Health Disorders in Australia

This article discusses the prevalence and impact of mental health disorders in Australia. It explores different types of disorders and their effects on individuals and society. The article also compares care practices for mentally ill patients in Australia and the United States.

Running head: MENTAL HEALTH 1
Mental Health
Name
Institution

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Mental Health
Mental health disorders in Australia
Mental disorders are described by Brooker et al. (2017) as clinically diagnosable illnesses
which impose significant interferences on the social, cognitive and emotional potencies of an
individual. In the Australian context, the term is used to incorporate a wider range of disorders
that depict variations in terms of severity and duration of effect. According to Riice et al. (2016),
mental ailments can impose great detrimental effects on patients, their families and the society in
general. In Australia, people suffering from mental illnesses face social isolation,
discriminations, stigmatization, abject poverty, unemployment, and emotional challenges.
According to the National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing (NSMHWB) of 2007, about
45% of Australian residents aged between 16 and 85 will experience a form of mental illness in
their lifetime. From a statistical point of view, 8.6 million Australians are exposed to mental
health conditions in their lifetime. Key mental conditions in the Australian context include
anxiety disorders, attention deficit hyperactivity disorders, depressive disorders, psychotic
disorders and comorbid conditions.
The NSMHWB reveals that about 18% of Australians suffer from affective, anxiety,
depression or substance use conditions or more than one of the aforementioned disorders.
Meadows et al. (2015) reveal that in 2015, anxiety and depression were considered as the leading
causes of mental health illnesses in Australia. Further, the researchers reveal that the two
conditions were the leading sources of non-fatal burden in the entire populace. The most
common causes of depression among adult Australians are affective challenges and anxiety
related problems. According to Riice et al. (2016), the percentage of Australians who reported
psychological distress increased from 2.2% to 3.8% between 1997 and 2015. The researchers

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further reveal that women in Australia tend to report higher degrees of psychological distress
compared to their male counterparts. Further, the scholars reveal that adults who depict long term
behavioral or mental illnesses are most likely to reveal higher degrees of psychological
distresses.
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is the most common mental condition
that affects Australian children aged between 4 and 17 years. According to Riice et al. (2016),
about 350,000 Australian children and adolescents suffer from ADHD. On the other hand, the
researchers reveal that 290,000 Australian children suffer from anxiety disorders while about
120,000 suffer from major depressive disorders and 90,000 depict conduct disorders.
While about 70,000 Australians aged between 18 and 64 years suffer from psychotic
disorders, Meurk et al. (2015) explain that this category of mental accounts for the greatest level
of public expenditure. The scholars attribute such a position to the fact that most of the people
who suffer from these conditions require specialized mental health services. Brophy et al. (2015)
demystify that overall; the greatest population of people who suffer from psychotic conditions
depicted the symptoms of schizophrenia (about 47%). Similarly, the scholars reveal that about
65% of these patients experienced their first episode of psychotic sicknesses before attaining the
age of 25. On the other hand, about 1 million people depict affective disorders while 850,000
Australian residents suffer from substance use conditions.
Societal Attitudes towards Mental Disorders in the United States
The societal attitudes upheld by the American public range from the perceptions of the
root causes of these diseases, personal, biological and spiritual points of view, and the causal
attributions for the conditions in question. However, the American society has experienced
massive changes in the attitudes and perceptions upheld by the public on the issues of mental

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health. According to Brooker et al. (2017), the American public has broadened its self definition
of the issues that constitute mental health challenges. In essence, the current society has gained a
deeper understanding of mental health and is more likely to inculcate less harsh terminologies
and problems when defining his condition. Crowley and Kirschner, (2015) explain that
compared to the pre-1950 American society which sidelined people suffering from mental
conditions, people in the modern day U.S tend to describe the challenge using terms such as
mood disorder and mild anxiety that are less severe. As such, mentally ill people in these settings
do not suffer tough traumas compared to their counterparts who lived about five decades ago.
The beliefs upheld by members of the American society about the root causes of mental
conditions plays an influential role in determining the attitude of the public concerning this
problem. According to Crowley and Kirschner, (2015), most Americans consider alcohol
dependence, drug dependence, schizophrenia and depression as the key causes of mental
sickness. Further, the researchers reveal that a clique of Americans upholds the belief that people
suffering from mental conditions “are most likely” or “somewhat likely” to have gone through
certain challenges in life. Such challenges include nervous breakdown or physical ailments. On
the other hand, Paul et al. (2015) explain that some Americans uphold the notion that the people
who depict mental illnesses must have been victims of alcohol and/or drug dependence as
aspects of the ups and downs that affect their lives. similarly, the scholars demystify that a
section of Americans uphold the deep belief that individuals who suffer from mental health
conditions such as schizophrenia and depression must have experienced nervous breakdowns at a
moment in their lives.
Based on the analysis put in place, it is evident that different U.S citizens uphold multiple
descriptions of what constitutes mental illness through their definitions of these conditions as

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well as what they consider to be the root causes of such ailments. Paul et al. (2015) demystify
that while most of the American citizens consider drug and alcohol dependence as the key causes
of mental illnesses, they report body chemical imbalances as the source of these dependencies.
On the other hand, a clique of the populace point’s poor parents styles, bad character, peer
influence and stress as the factors that contribute to drug and alcohol dependence.
Americans uphold varied attitudes on the levels of competence and dangerousness of the
people affected with mental health issues. According to Crowley and Kirschner (2015),
Americans consider mentally ill patients whose conditions depict sub threshold to possess higher
degrees of competence in the processes of establishing and determining the treatment options
that suite them. For instance, he researchers explain that U.S citizens consider people who
present major depressions to be capable of making treatment decisions. On the other hand, the
scholars demystify those patients who suffer from severe mental conditions such as
schizophrenia lack the competencies in such decision making processes. However, Metzl and
MacLeish (2015) explain that apart from patients who present episodes of depression, there are
tendencies that people with mental ailments may pose a threat of violence towards other
members of the public.
Comparison of Care Practices for Mentally Ill Patients in the United States and Australia
The care practices adopted by the Australian government are far much ahead of those put
in place by the United States. According to Meadows et al. (2015), healthcare institutions in
Australia are leading the way in the processes of adopting and delivering innovative mental
health services. The researchers reveal that currently, stakeholders in this jurisdiction have
shifted from the conventional approaches that heavily relied on hospitalization to the adoption of

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community based care. However, the Australian space still faces the challenge of ensuring that
ample mental health services are made accessible for the entire population.
The level of expenditure on public psychiatric facilities has seen a significant drop since
1999. According to Meurk et al. (2015), the move taken by the government of Australia to adopt
high quality infrastructure in the last three decades has led to great reductions in the rates of
expenditure from about 45% in 1999 to 12%. Such a premise remains viable despite the fact that
Australia has 29 fewer psychiatric beds for every 100,000 citizens compared to the OECD
average. Such a drop is attributed to the Australia’s government’s swiftness to invest in
community mental health programs. The move to adopt community-based treatments is also
depicted by the significant decrease in the capacity of inpatient beds that have fallen from the
original 310 for every 100,000 citizens about four decades ago to the current 35 psychiatric beds
per 100,000 populations.
To date, Australia enjoys the presence of the largest and most effective community
mental health services across the globe. For instance, the country is dominated with facilities and
services aimed at fostering crisis and home treatments, assertive outreaches and early
intervention measures. However, Meurk et al. (2015) reveals that there are tendencies that
Australia’s move to over-emphasize on community based services with minimal numbers of
inpatient psychiatrc beds exposes patients who present severe conditions with the possibilities of
worsening their conditions. On the other hand, Riice et al. (2016) demystifies that such strategies
could impose great detrimental effects that range from increased number of hospital
readmissions to an increase in stays in emergency units.
The Australian landscape has gained deep awareness of the burden of the most prominent
forms of mental ailments such as anxiety and depression. Riice et al. (2016) reveal that the public

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has also moved a notch higher to appreciate the efficacy of addressing these conditions through
the adoption of professional treatment procedures. The scholars further reveal that Australia has
made significant steps in its move of expanding the role of primary care facilities through
adoption of programs such as the Better Access psychological therapy and web-based initiatives
such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and MoodGYM.
Just like Australia, the United States of America has made great achievements in its move
of establishing ample and high quality care services in its mental health sector. However, as
opposed to Australia, the United States of America has made significant achievements in its
endeavors of educating the public on the effectiveness of upholding an inclusive environment for
patients affected with mental health conditions. For instance, Brooker et al. (2017) demystify that
the present day American populace is highly knowledgeable about the issues of mental health
and conditions associated with drug use and abuse. Further, the scholars reveal that compared to
the country’s populace that existed about six decades ago, the present day generation is highly
cognizant of a wider array of mental illnesses and the benefits of acquiring timely treatments.
Metzl, and MacLeish (2015) attribute such advancements to the country’s move to increase its
fiscal investments in public health initiatives aimed at fostering societal awareness and
appreciation of the people that are affected with these ailments.
Further, the United States of America has made great achievements in its move to boost
mental health services by imposing heavy investments in this department. Meadows et al. (2015)
explain that just like Australia and other developed economies such as the United Kingdom, the
U.S has increased its levels of infrastructural investment in community health initiatives as a way
of reducing the number of patients seeking hospital admissions and readmissions. For instance,
the scholars reveal that the country boasts of the fact that its menal health facilities have reduced

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their bed capacities to 25 bed spaces for every 100,000 residents. Such statistics play a
significant role in demystifying the steps made by the U.S government in fostering the reductions
of hospital admissions and readmissions while enhancing its capacity to enhance community
health practices.
Attitudes towards Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is one of the prominent mental health conditions in the United States and
Australia. According to Paul et al. (2015), about 2 million Americans live with this condition.
However, the attitudes upheld by the members of the populace about this condition tend to vary
with variations in jurisdiction. As aforementioned, the United States has made great
achievements in is move to foster public awareness of a wider range of mental health conditions.
As such, patients who present this condition tend to be embraced in the U.S compared to their
counterparts in Australia. According to Metzl, and MacLeish (2015) the U.S government has
played an active role in promoting its public’s understanding of this condition by closing the gap
between onset of the disease and treatment, ensuring that victims are capable of accessing
primary healthcare services early enough and fostering educational support for families and
victims of schizophrenia. As such, people in this society treat the affected members with utmost
consideration.
Despite the inclusive nature of the American society, some of the victims of this
condition are exposed to insecurities due to the overprotective nature of the system. According to
Meadows et al. (2015), most of the people who present the symptoms of schizophrenia are
enrolled for Social Security Disability Income and are accorded stamps. While the government
does this to benefit these people, there are tendencies that they may suffer social discrimination
in their positions as beggars.

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In Australia, people with schizophrenia tend to be exposed to traumatizing conditions
compared to their counterparts in the United States. According to Brooker et al. (2017), people
with this condition lead poor quality lives, are most likely to be homeless and unemployed, face
critical financial constraints, do not get the opportunity to access equal education opportunities,
and are most likely to depict poor social skills. On the other hand, Metzl, and MacLeish (2015)
explain that the diagnosis of schizophrenia in the Australian context presents a significant
proportion of stigmatization among the affected patients. The researchers explain that people
with this condition suffer social isolations, sanctions and control compared to their counterparts
in the United States. Such a position is attributed to the fact that the community health programs
adopted in this economy put a lot of concentration on treatment rather than fostering public
awareness and inclusion.
Common Treatments
Australia
Caregivers in the Australian context tend to concentrate on psychological remedies to
treat schizophrenia. Also referred to as the talking therapy, psychological treatments in this
locate are aimed at enhancing the quality of life of the affected patients. According to Metzl, and
MacLeish (2015), caregivers who are accorded this role aim at establishing ample relationships
between the patient and the therapist assigned by establishing an environment that promotes trust
and hope. The scholars enumerate psycho-education, cognitive behavior therapy and family
psycho-education as the primary categories of psychological remedies put in place by Australian
caregivers. According to Paul et al. (2015) cognitive behavior therapy proceeds with the aim of
minimizing the effects of anxiety and depression as well as fostering reduced use and abuse of
alcohol and drugs among patients with schizophrenia. On the other hand psycho-education is

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adopted as a treatment technique to help patients with schizophrenia to have a deeper
understanding of the condition. As such, psycho-education programs put a lot of consideration
on the importance of explaining the symptoms of schizophrenia, the treatment options available
for this condition and recovery processes. People with schizophrenia are given the option of
undertaking the psycho-education process either individually or by including their family
members.
Comparatively, caregivers in the United States of America put a lot of consideration for
electroconvulsive therapy as the most common treatment for schizophrenia. According to
Meadows et al. (2015), electroconvulsive therapy is widely adopted in this locale based on its
nature as one of the safest and most effective remedies for schizophrenia. Further, the researchers
explain that the technique could be of critical significance in instances where the patient under
consideration presents severe symptoms.

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