Mental Health Disorders in Australia

Running head: MENTAL HEALTH 1
Mental Health
Name
Institution

MENTAL HEALTH 2
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

MENTAL HEALTH 3
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

MENTAL HEALTH 4
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