Essay: National Mental Health Policy Analysis in Australia (2008)

This essay examines the Australian National Mental Health Policy of 2008, focusing on its key elements and the framework used for analysis. It highlights the policy's approach to addressing mental health issues, including the rights and responsibilities of individuals, promotion of mental health, prevention of mental health problems, early intervention, and access to care. The analysis employs a framework that identifies the problem, investigates policy objectives, evaluates its effects on the target population, and considers alternative strategies. The essay concludes that the policy is a positive step toward addressing mental health challenges, while also recommending further studies to improve its effectiveness as mental health problems continue to evolve. The essay uses references from Jones, Shanahan, and McBeth (2014), Jorm (2012), Slade, Teesson, and Burgess (2009), and Weimer, and Vining (2017).

NATIONAL MENTAL HEALTH POLICY 1
Trends in Health and Community Care
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NATIONAL MENTAL HEALTH POLICY 2
National mental health policy
Mental health is quite common among different people in Australia with it. The majority
of Australians are directly or implicitly affected by the influence of mental illness in their
lifetime. Mental disorder is widespread, with 3% of the population undergoing acute or recurring
disorder and up to 45% of them undergoing mental illness in their lifetime. The effect on those
suffering from mental health, their families, and healthcare providers, and the Australian society,
can be significant. This essay will focus on the Australian national health care policy of 2008, the
key elements of the strategy and go in depth looking at the framework that will be used to
analyze it (Slade, Teessons, and Burgess, 2009).
The key elements of this national mental health policy include; first it will look at the
rights and responsibilities of individuals faced with mental health problems and illness. It will
ensure that once the individuals are identified, they are treated with the utmost respect and their
rights upheld. Also, it ensures that they do not face any stigma and discrimination while carrying
out their activities. Next, it looks at promoting mental health, in that it has ways and steps to
cope with stressful situations in their lives thus reduce the risk of mental health or find proper
ways to deal with mental health illness (Jorm, 2012).
Another element is to prevent mental health problems in Australians which in return will
reduce the number of suicides and also mental health illness. Next is intervening early where
individuals will get the necessary help soon enough thus ensuring that they get better quickly and
have a handle on the mental health illness. Also, it focuses on ensuring that individuals who are
facing mental health problems gain access to the correct care at the exact time so that that they
can get better. Then another element is the people involved careerwise in proving the care for
mental health patients (Jorm, 2012) .

NATIONAL MENTAL HEALTH POLICY 3
The analysis of the national mental health policy will use a framework which will
evaluate the policy and see if it solves the problem which it was made for. The framework will
study the policy in depth to ensure that it addresses different social issues, in this case, mental
health problems in Australia (Jones, Shanahan, and McBeth, 2014). This framework will follow
these steps. First, it will identify and explain the problem that is being analyzed by the policy so
that people can know what problem is being solved. Next, it will investigate the objectives of the
policy and what part of the population it targets. It will then focus on evaluating what effects the
policy has on the target population thus know if the policy is effective. Finally, it studies what
other strategies that are available and if they better address the problem at hand of if some of it
could better and efficiently solve the problem when combined (Weimer, and Vining, 2017).
In conclusion, the national mental health policy in Australia is an excellent effort to help
solve the mental health problem in the country thus all concerned parties should follow it. More
studies, however, should be done so that it can be made better as the mental health problems
continue to evolve.
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NATIONAL MENTAL HEALTH POLICY 4
References
Jones, M., Shanahan, E. and McBeth, M. eds., 2014. The science of stories: Applications of the
narrative policy framework in public policy analysis. Springer.
Jorm, A.F., 2012. Mental health literacy: empowering the community to take action for better
mental health. American Psychologist, 67(3), p.231.
Slade, J., Teesson, W. and Burgess, P., 2009. The mental health of Australians 2: report on the
2007 National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing.
Weimer, D.L. and Vining, A.R., 2017. Policy analysis: Concepts and practice. Taylor & Francis.