Mental Health Advocacy and Consumer Rights

The assignment focuses on the significance of mental health advocacy in providing equal rights to consumers, enabling them to express their preferences and opinions. It highlights the importance of communication, partnership, and dignity in promoting self-esteem and worth among mental health consumers. The recovery programs are based on enhancing overall health and wellness, while allowing consumers to voice their opinions.

Running head: MENTAL HEALTH NURSING
The consumer voice is central to all current mental health contexts and areas of
practice
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1MENTAL HEALTH NURSING
Mental health recovery process refers to the process of retaining and gaining hope,
understanding the preferences and demands of mentally ill individuals, recognizing the range of
conditions, personal autonomy, level of engagement in an active life, social identity, meaning of
life, and positive self-esteem (National Mental Health Strategy, 2014). Mental health consumers
refer to people who are provided with the necessary support and intervention approaches for
treating the consumers (Health.vic.gov.au, 2014). The essay will elaborate on four major
principles of mental health recovery as a part of consumer voice during the recovery process.
The essay will illustrate the role of uniqueness of individual, dignity and rights, partnership and
communication, and attitude and rights of the consumers.
Effective partnership with the individuals recognizes the fact that all people are expert of
their lives. This results in involving the people while delivering care services and enhances their
recovery. It promotes collaboration among carers, consumers, and service providers. This
increases understanding between major stakeholders and improves personal recovery (Jacob,
Munro, Taylor & Griffiths, 2017). The recovery principles involve fostering effective partnership
that will make the concerned healthcare professionals respond directly to provide technical or
pharmacological assistance to the target population (Bennetts, Pinches, Paluch & Fossey, 2013).
Partnerships with key service providers in interprofessional communication for recovery of
community mental health also enhance the wellbeing. According to the WPA, there are a
plethora of barriers that hinder the process of effective partnership during mental health
recovery. Lack of commitment as displayed by the healthcare workers, and professional staff is a
major disadvantage in promoting recovery. In addition, respecting the basic human rights of all
mental consumers and displaying a respectful attitude and behaviour towards them form the
basis of an effective provider-service user partnership. Mental recovery process can also get

2MENTAL HEALTH NURSING
delayed due to differences in opinion that exists between the stakeholders. (Wallcraft et al.,
2011). Long distances and isolation of the mental consumers pose major threats to the
communication strategies (Millar & Sands, 2013). Moreover, communication between the
stakeholders involves positive self-talk, assertiveness, empathy, and establishment of social cues
(National Mental Health Strategy, 2014).
Recovery principles that focus on uniqueness of an individual examine the determinates
of existing individual differences among all mental health consumers, along the origin of their
mental disorders. Uniqueness determination helps in identifying and assessing the ways by
which mental health recovery services can be developed and formulated. It also helps in
recognising that there are a range of mental experiences experienced by all people (National
Mental Health Strategy, 2014). This aspect of the recovery principle works towards giving a
hope that mental consumers can also lead a purposeful life. Online peer support programs have
proved successful in enhancing coping strategies among the mental health consumers. They also
enhance the overall psychological and emotional wellbeing of all individuals (Ali, Farrer,
Gulliver & Griffiths, 2015). All mental consumers are presumed to possess the capacity of
providing their informed consent for a particular treatment or intervention, regardless of the
prevailing mental condition. Consent of family members are also considered essential for
recovery programs. Specific portions of the Mental Health Act impose legislation on cases where
people are treated without their consent (Health.vic.gov.au, 2014). Thus, all individuals deserve a
range of informed choices that enhances their survival.
The recovery principles also consider it imperative to pay attention to the rights and
attitudes of mental health consumers. A positive mental attitude facilitates improvements in
recovery chances. Attitudes displayed by peers or family members towards mental health

3MENTAL HEALTH NURSING
consumers have the potential of affecting the ways they consider themselves, thereby adversely
increasing their likelihood of failing to recover. This encompasses mental health advocacy that
assists mental consumers to express their views and demands, thereby assisting them to stand for
their rights. Recovery programs that focus on attitudes and rights often involve helping the
mental consumers about their rights under the jurisdiction of the Mental Health Act 2014
(Health.vic.gov.au, 2014). These programs are therefore successful in developing recreational
and occupational activities that are meaningful for the consumers. Informing them about their
rights also encompass creating provisions for training programs and education that will increase
an awareness of the entire community and healthcare workers on the underlying factors that
contribute to mental illness (National Mental Health Strategy, 2014). Social advocacy is also
considered a major prerequisite that increases awareness on several mental health issues.
Consumer advocacy is also essential in exploring the provisions of opinions and rights of mental
consumers (Allison, Nance, Bastiampillai, Hooper, Roeger & Goldney, 2014). Advocacy also
provides information on legal authorities and creates a better understanding of the reasons behind
implementation of particular interventions.
Another major principle underlined by the recovery programs encompass demonstration
of appropriate dignity and respect towards the consumers. Dignity is considered as an essential
aspect of human rights. The recovery services aim to treat all people with respect, as fellow
beings. They illustrate importance of avoiding labelling the individuals based on their mental
states (National Mental Health Strategy, 2014). These programs also focus on adopting a person-
centred care where the consumers and their preferences and needs are placed at the centre
(Bennetts, Pinches, Paluch & Fossey, 2013). This helps in upholding the dignity of the service
users. Furthermore, the services tackle discrimination and engage consumers from all ethnic

4MENTAL HEALTH NURSING
groups, thereby sustaining their self-respect and personal identity. Delivering a person-centred
care that is comprehensive and individualised also promotes dignity (Wand & Wand, 2013).
Therefore, working towards achieving freedom from discrimination, abuse and violence are the
major steps that uphold respect and dignity of the individuals.
The major barriers to mental health recovery include the stigma and stereotypes that exist
in the community towards individuals suffering from mental health problems. Limited
availability of mental health workers, and inadequate essential medicines restrict the access to
mental recovery. High cost of the psychiatric treatment services pose major financial hindrances
and make mental recovery unaffordable by the consumers (Wallcraft et al., 2011). Poor literacy
on mental illness and limitations in mental health policies also act as major barriers.
While the principles of recognising uniqueness of an individual ensures that all
consumers are accepted in the way they are, mental health advocacy provides them equal rights
to manifest their preferences and opinions. Partnership and communication is found to empower
the consumer that assists them to lead a meaningful life. On the other hand, demonstrating
appropriate dignity and respect towards the rights and attitudes of all mental health customers
work towards preventing all forms of discrimination towards them and facilitates realisation of
self-esteem and worth. Thus, it can be stated that all recovery programs are based on the
foundation of enhancing the overall health and wellness of mental consumers, while creating the
provision of voicing their opinions.

5MENTAL HEALTH NURSING
References
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