State of Mental Health in Australia

This article discusses the prevalence of mental disorders in Australia, barriers to treatment, and existing programs to counter it. It also highlights the need for all stakeholders to work together to promote mental health. Subject: Mental Health, Course Code: N/A, Course Name: N/A, College/University: N/A

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STATE OF MENTAL HEALTH IN AUSTRALIA
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STATE OF MENTAL HEALTH IN AUSTRALIA
INTRODUCTION
Mental illness is a serious health concern in the society today. According to research,
more than 20% of Adults in Australia are affected by mental disorders. However, the
understanding as well as the respect we have concerning mental health is key to prevent the
stigma that associated with mental illnesses (Christensen, Griffiths, & Evans, 2002, p.99).
Mental health can be defined as the sense of well-being, confidence and finally self-esteem that
makes anyone to totally enjoy life as well as appreciating other individuals (Milner, Smith, &
LaMontagne, 2015, p.678). Mental illness on the other hand is health issue that negatively alters
the way someone thinks, feels, and behaves as well as interacting with different people. Mental
illness is however not a particular disease since it exhibits itself in a variety of ways in relation to
an individual’s environment, psychological as well as biological factors.
In Australia, mental disorders is the most significant issue especially among the youths
and if these conditions persist, the harm they cause lasts for decades. The issues that contribute to
mental health in Australia include elevated levels of enduring disability like failure at schools,
high unemployment rates as well as poor family and social functioning (Hafekost et al., 2016,
p.59). The end results are dysfunctions which are hard to reverse or correct. Since 75% of the
mental illness in Australia begin before 25 years old, it would be necessary to cut on the
economic, attitudinal as well as service organization and geographical barriers to the youths as
well as young adults so as to address the mental health problem.
The rates of mental illness in Australia are high in the young people and this represents
the biggest burden of the disease in young people. It is widely believed that depression is the

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leading cause of the condition. According to studies, it is clear that suicide as well as self-harm
has risen significantly in Australia since 1990s and this are attributed to the mental disorders
(Jones et al., 2015, p. 25). Further studies indicate that 60% of all the disability costs that are
health related are as a result of mental illness. A further 27% of the disability years in Australia
are as well attributed to mental illness (Davidson, Heffernan, Greenberg, Waterworth, &
Burgess, 2017, p. 888). Even though majority of the mental illnesses begin prior to 18 years,
individuals between the ages of 25-44 and 45-64 years are more likely to get active treatment as
compared to those who are below 25 years in Australia when seen in the general practice.
Some research have shown that some of the mental disorders can be effectively prevented
through earlier intervention measures and that their effects can be well countered by providing
early appropriate services (De Crespigny et al., 2015, p. 126). Despite many clinicians in
Australia being enthusiastic to reform this condition, their efforts have remained futile as
compared to other countries who even began after emulating Australia (Uribe Guajardo et al.,
2018, p. 12). Besides, the specialist mental health system in Australia is totally underfunded and
this has totally plagued the efforts to repair the damage. According to statistics, the national
health spending has grown past the $72 billion while the recurrent expenditure on mental health
spending still remains below 7% of the $72 billion. Despite the Australian governments
recognizing the coordinated national health as well as welfare services for the people with mental
issues, the investments still remains low as well as lack of accountability. The disintegrated
systems of the government as well as the changing demands of the healthcare have led to a
patchy group of reforms in terms of mental health in Australia.

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Statistics concerning mental disorders in Australia
According to statistics, one out five people in Australia were by one given moment
affected by mental disorders within a period of twelve months. This is in accordance with the
National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing. The young adults were the ones who were
particularly affected by the condition with statistics indicating that more than a quarter of
Australians in the age group between 18 and 24 years experiencing mental illnesses over a
duration of 12 months. This was according to the Health Policy and Planning Unit Act of 2006.
The prevalence of mental disorders among children of ages between 4 and 12 years in
Australia according to statistics, is at 7% and between 14-19% among adolescents with age
between 13 and 17 years. The prevalence further raises to 27% among those individuals between
18 and 24 years. What this statistics imply is that among four young individuals in Australia, one
of them is likely to suffer from mental health disorders.
The Australian Indigenous communities are also not spared from this menace as the grief
and trauma from the loss of their traditional lands and cultural practices that resulted from
colonization plays a critical role in the development of mental illnesses.
Barriers to provision of and the utilization of health services
Despite the growing concern of mental illness in Australia, there are different barriers to
healthcare services to repair the condition. Some of the barriers include costs, inconvenience as
well as lack of publicity about the services and their visibility. Majority of the healthcare services
are not acceptable to the Australians and the issue of lack of confidentiality is the biggest factor
that make majority of the patients shy off from seeking help. Besides, the stigma associated with
mental illness and the difficult questions subjected to the patients significantly contribute to

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majority of the patients shying off from seeking treatment. However, clinicians have begun
appreciating the need to overcome the different barriers so as to ensure early prevention and
intervention measures of the mental disorders. They are also trying hard to transform the
negative image of the health facilities so that they can be user friendly.
Existing programs to counter mental health disorders in Australia
To effectively counter the mental health disorder menace in Australia, there are several
programs that have been set up. The MidMatters for example is a nationwide mental health
program that source its funds from the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing
(McIntyre et al., 2017, p. 67). This is a body whose mandate is to promote and protect mental
Health as well as the social and emotional wellbeing among secondary school students in
Australia (Meadows, Enticott, Inder, Russell, & Gurr, 2015, p. 193). Another important initiative
is the Mind frame and it was established so as to improve on the manner in which the media can
report mental health issues. This program also seeks to provide access on accurate information
concerning suicide as well as mental illness and showing these issues on news in Australia. The
Triple P program commonly known as the Positive Parenting Program has also been
implemented in Australia to positively impact parents of children suffering from mental
disorders in preschool children in Australia (Rickwood et al., 2015, p. 534). The Personal
Assessment and crises Evaluation (PACE) provides medical attention to young people who are at
high risk of developing mental illnesses (Clement et al., 2014, p. 16). Pathways to Prevention is
also another program established to offer early intervention programs with the core objective is
to ensure transition at school in one of the most disadvantaged urban centers in Queensland
Australia.

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Future Directions of Mental Health in Australia
At the moment, there is a wealth of knowledge as well as information about the
appropriate interventional measures to address the issue of mental health in Australia. The
mental health services remain inconsistently provided as well as underfunded (Harvey et al.,
2017, p. 491). New evidence has also suggested that there is professional on how the mental
disorders can be corrected. However, how this information infiltrates to the relevant stakeholders
remains poor. Bertolote and McGorry in their article further did assert interventions which can
cut on relapses by more than 50% are readily available. However, access to them is what an issue
remains. In summary, both the old and new extended community networks ought to collectively
work together to promote mental health.
CONCLUSION
Mental disorder is a condition that describes impairment in the manner an individual
thinks, feels or interacts with other people. Mental disorders are commonly caused by depression
as well as drug and substance abuse. In Australia, mental disorder is a serious issue with statistics
indicating that 20% of the population is suffering from the condition. There are different barriers
to effective treatment of mental disorders in Australia and this include stigma as well as the
difficult questions subjected to those suffering from the condition. Besides, the healthcare
professionals are not trained to effectively communicate with individuals suffering from mental
illnesses. However, there has been different programs to counter the consequences of the mental
illness burdens. Such programs include the MindMatters and the Mindframe program. In the
future, there is need for all the stakeholders to work hand in hand to ensure the burden of mental
disorders is well cut out.

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