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Social Policy on Mental Health in Australia | Assignment

   

Added on  2019-11-19

9 Pages2548 Words164 Views
Running Head: SOCIAL POLICY ON MENTAL HEALTH IN AUSTRALIA 1Social Policy on Mental Health in AustraliaNameInstitution

SOCIAL POLICY ON MENTAL HEALTH IN AUSTRALIA2Executive summaryThe welfare of a nation is greatly influenced by the types of social policies employed indifferent sectors of the economy to help solve some social needs in the society at large. In thiscase, a social policy acts as a plan or action was taken by government agencies or other socialwork agencies and bodies with the aim of improving or reforming society. These social policiesmust have a measure in which issues can be solved in an efficient manner. The development ofsocial policy on the mental health of indigenous Australia has played a vital role in improvingand promoting the state of mental health in the Australian community over the last two decades.Many have been the gains and developments that the society and community have gained sincethe implementation of the mental health strategy in 1992. However, there is need to develop adifferent approach that would not only the access to health services for those experiencingmental ilness and reduction of the impact of the conditions on the individuals and their familiesbut also to build a policy that incorporates a number of different health issues facing the peoplewith mental health disorders. IntroductionSocial Policy on Mental Health in Australia is a policy that outlines the vision designedfor the general mental health of the Australia Population. The policy outlines the measures thatmust be acted upon to effectively prevent and manage the growth and increase of mental andneurological disorders (Clement et al. 2015). Australia has been at the forefront of the provisionof health care and especially in general health services and a leader in the mental health policy

SOCIAL POLICY ON MENTAL HEALTH IN AUSTRALIA3and service departments. This, however, could be due to the need to reduce the increasing staticsof reported cases of mental health problems in the country. According to the Australia Bureau ofStatistics, 20% of the Australian population aged between 16 years to 85 years has been reportedto have experienced a mental problem in a year. The most prevalent and experienced mentalillness and disorders include depressive disorder, anxiety disorder and substance use disorder(Wang, 2015). The most likely to affect people been the anxiety disorder which has a percentageof 14 while depressed disorder is reported to be 6 % and substance use disorder at 5% this is alsosupported by the report and review of the Australian Institute of health and welfare (AIHW).This essay, therefore, seeks to provide an understanding of the National mental health policy andhow efficient the policy has been in improving mental health care as well as providerecommendations which will enhance its efficiency.A conceptualized mental health policy brings about coordinated essential services andactivities aimed at treatment and care of mental illness are delivered to individuals in needs whileat the same time decreasing the rate of inefficiency in the health system (Murray et al. 2014). Aneffective development of a mental health policy would involve a systematic effort of differentstakeholders in assessing the population needs, gathering the required evidence for effectivestrategies as well as having consultations and negotiations with relevant bodies.The National Mental Health Policy development in Australia was in a bid to review thereforms of prior development of the Australian mental health strategy (AMHS). The strategy wasa commitment made by the Australian government with the aim of changing the lives andconditions of people with mental illness. Therefore, it aimed at promoting the mental health ofthe community at large, reduce the impact of mental disorder on individuals, families and the

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