Strategies Against Mental Illness: A Review

The provided assignment discusses various strategies employed to combat mental illness, such as early intervention, deinstitutionalisation, and integration of hospitals with community mental health services. The report highlights the importance of stepped care models in managing mental health at the community level. It also touches upon the challenges faced by community services due to the high number of patients. The assignment draws from a 2008 survey conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) and references various studies on mental health reform, including the 4th national mental health plan.

Introduction
Mental illness is a that health conditions in which persons emotions, behavior and
thinking capacity changes as compared to normal and health person who is mentally fit. The
main causes of mental illness is genetic factors, hormonal changes and consumption of more
drugs and alcohol which directly affect the mental level of the person. To cure mental illness
there are many treatment available in the market like, exposure therapy, cognitive behavioral
therapy etc. it is a mathematical data that forty five percent of people aged between 16 and 85
years have a high prevalence of developing a mental disorder such as, anxiety, depression and
substance abuse related mental disorders in their life time (Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS),
2008). Mental disorders not only affect individuals but also the country’s economy since
Australia spends approximately 60 billion dollars annually on mental health care and this amount
is around 4% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Body
The Australian government has developed diverse strategies that have been effective in
the fight against mental illness. The first step is the mental health reform which focusses on the
new stepped care model. In the new model, mental health services are delivered to the
community through the thirty-one primary health care networks (Roberts, 2011). This is crucial
since with the close of asylums, most mental health care has been provided to the patients at the
community level. This ensures that everyone can easily access quality mental health care without
having to line-up in the psychiatric hospitals. Moreover, the stepped care model provides online
counselling to youths who may not like the idea of visiting a hospital to receive counselling
(Mental Health Coordinating Council NSW. (2009). This provides timely care to these youths
through counseling on various individualist topics. This will help the patient to recover soon.
Proper care and medicines and therapies work quickly on patient and the chances of recovery
increases. With the implementation of the stepped care model, people are now able to easily
access mental health services and they can also get care according to their level of need (Van
Straten et al., 2010).

In mental illness continuum care being provided to patients who have been discharged
has also played a major role in promoting better patient’s outcomes. After the patients are
discharged, a group of highly specialised health personnel like psychiatric nurses provide home-
based intensive mental health care. In this case patient need proper care and belongingness to
recover soon. By this the state of mind gets working and the chances of recovery level increases.
Keeping on monitoring all the activities of the patent will help the doctor to treat the patient well
and the chances of relapse decrease and the chances of recover increases. Accommodation can be
described as the metamorphosis that is experienced by the patient when he or she is discharged
from the hospital to the community. When a patient has been admitted for a very long time, the
transition can be quite overwhelming and the government has therefore provided housing,
rehabilitation, and clinical support to such clients to ensure that their transition to the community
setting is smooth and friendly (Sawyer & Savy, 2014). When a patient has been admitted for a
very long time, the transition can be quite overwhelming and the government has therefore
provided housing, rehabilitation, and clinical support to such clients to ensure that their transition
to the community setting is smooth and friendly (Sawyer & Savy, 2014). Rehabilitation and
clinical support are significant as they assist the patient to continue improving even when they
are at home by receiving appropriate mental health care. When person is treated well and normal
in the community or society it creates positive vibes in their mind and the chances of getting well
increases. Taking part in the societies activities also helps the person to cure better as it helps the
person to interact with other things which creates positive affect on their mind.
Mental illness according to a national survey that was conducted in 2011, the
respondents reported that they would definitely seek medical attention from a general
practitioner if they have any signs of a mental disorder. If any mental disorder is seen in the
person general practitioner will be hired on the initial stage so the person can be cured early as
soon as possible. They also reported that they have modified their lifestyles and they engage in
physical activities and other relaxation techniques that play a major role in preventing the
incidences of mental illness since these interventions help individual to come up from
depression and suicidal thoughts which can be the hallmark of some mental disorders (Australian
Bureau of Statistics (ABS) 2008). It is a mathematical form in which sixty-six percent of the
participants in the study were aware of the availability of mental health organisations that
provide quality mental health services that are easily accessible, the beyond blue organisation

was the most common organisation that was identified by the respondents (Sawyer & Savy
(2014). For example, the population of the mentally ill is still high despite the fact that the
government has invested so much money in the provision of mental health services to all the
consumers(Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) 2008). The 2007 survey shows that one in every
five Australians will develop a mental disorder in his or her lifetime. Government should take
initiative steps to open platforms so that mentally disorder can be treated with love and care in
pleasant environment. The results will be positive if this steps are taken immediate It is crucial,
however, not to disregard the interventions that are now in place to manage mental illness in our
society it is believed that the government should channel its resources in improving mental
health at the community level (Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), 2008).
Conclusion
It is evident that there are strategies ranging from early intervention,
deinstitutionalisation, and integration of hospitals and community mental health services to the
stepped care model that have been pivotal in the fight against mental illness. Although some
problems like overwhelming of community services due to the high number of patients have
been quite persistent, we appreciate the efforts that have been made over the time.

References
Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) 2008, NationalSurvey of Mental Health and Wellbeing:
Summary of Results, 2007, Cat. no. 4326.0, ABS, Canberra: <www.
abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/mf/4326.0>.
Mental Health Coordinating Council NSW. (2009).The 4th national mental health plan: What
does it mean for consumers? Health Voices, (5), 22-23.
Roberts, R. (2011). Delivering national mental health reform: When is a reform not a reform and
what happened to the fourth national mental health plan: EDITORIAL? Australian
Journal of Rural Health, 19(5), 229-230. doi:10.1111/j.1440-1584.2011.01218.x
Sawyer & Savy (2014). 'Mental illness: Understandings, experience and service provision'
Van Straten, A., Seekles, W., van't Veer-Tazelaar, N. J., Beekman, A. T. F., & Cuijpers, P. (2010).
Stepped care for depression in primary care: What should be offered and how? Medical
Journal of Australia, 192(11), S36-S39.