Exploring the Role of Welfare Laws in Australian Mental Health

This essay delves into the realm of mental health welfare laws in Australia, emphasizing the critical role of both society and government in providing support to individuals facing psychological challenges. It examines the historical development of these laws, highlighting key legislation such as the Mental Health Act 2014 and the Mental Health Act 1983, and their impact on patient rights and treatment protocols. The essay analyzes relevant articles and government regulations, focusing on the specific needs of young Australians and the influence of social and financial conditions on mental health. It also discusses the application of guidelines like DSM 5 in mental health treatment and emphasizes the evolution of welfare laws in addressing the challenges faced by individuals with mental illness. The essay reviews the importance of legal and ethical considerations within the Australian mental healthcare system and highlights the commitment towards effective mental health management and treatment.

RUNNING HEAD: Mental Health Welfare Law
Introduction to Welfare Law
Mental Health Welfare Law
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Mental Health Welfare Law
Mental health is the state where a person enjoys emotional, social and psychological balance
and enjoys social well-being. This state is very essential for the better living but human lives
in the society and community ad these factors out great impact over his mental states. These
factors are majorly consist the biological factors include any genetic or brain chemistry,
family and job issues and life experience of any accident or trauma. These are the factors
cause disturbance in the mental states of a person continuous impact lead the over thinking,
stress, anxiety and depression in the human (Beech & Harkins, 2012). These all are serious
issues because the depression majorly lead the end of life as the solution, hence government
and the society needs to make the proper availability of the mental health care centres and
development of welfare laws to support the issues and challenges faced by the mental health
patient in the legal, ethical or professional issues in the treatment. This essay will discuss the
role of the society and government in the metal health welfare laws in the Australia to
provide the support to the psychologically challenged humans. This essay will analyse the
different articles and the government rules to identify the development of welfare law in
Australia to support mental health (Think mental Health;, 2019).
Literature review of the given two articles will support the discussion in depth about the
Mental Health Welfare Law in Australia.
“Mental health in young Australians: a longitudinal study. Journal of Youth Studies,
2016”
Base of this article is designed on the basis of the survey conducted in the group of young
people from the age of 19-25, Australians. Base data for this survey was taken from the
Australian Life Patterns longitudinal study. The survey was followed by the two steps
deriving result in the random and fixed effects. The survey was conducted in the male and
female separately and data was recorded separately (Bullock, 2017). The main aim of this

Mental Health Welfare Law
survey was to identify the basic issues of the routine life causing mental health issues and the
role of the welfares laws in the society and at what level the Australians are aware about their
ethical and legal rights in case of any psychological treatment (Anand & Pennington-Smith,
2013).
The main idea focused in this article was to identify whether the mental health if young
Australians is stable or it is changing according to their mood and behaviour. The finding of
the survey was giving different result in women and men. The young age girl and boys were
continuously facing issues with their parenting, higher education, social beliefs and
responsibility factors of the community. The condition of women was found worse than men
because the women major deal with the socio-cultural aspect of the society. The overall target
of this survey was to identify the impact of mental health liner or common in the age of 19-
25.
The conclusion and finding part of this article discuss the young age is the age where a
person majorly deal the issues that raise the mental instability in his mind, the parenting
issues and other social issues are majorly affecting the every step of a young age person and
creating him the situation of mental issues. The poor mental health is the emerging issues
faced by the teenagers and young age people, the social welfare law are applicable to deal the
issues causing mental health problem and make effective steps to prevent them (Landstedt,
Coffey, & Nygren, Mental health in young Australians: a longitudinal study, 2016).
“The complex relationship between mental health and social conditions in the lives of
young Australians mixing work and study, Young 2017”
Metal instability issues are majorly faced by the youth. This article follow the concept that
young age people have complex relationship with the social and financial conditions, because
they need to deal the thinking of the two different generations with their own perceptions, this

Mental Health Welfare Law
balancing task lead the increased level of stress and depression in them. At the young age a
person is pressurized in the name of financial and social stability, these complexes and
challenging impact of the social environment led the issues to his mental health (Brayley,
Alston, & Rogers, 2015).
This article is designed on the basis of the research it conducted in the liner method from the
age of 19 -22 of the young age Australians. Mental health is more than the mental well-being,
in the qualitative findings of this article researchers found that emotionally young person
avoid the living in the parenting but due to his financial instability he feel helpless but none
other option remain available for them. The major affecting critical situation causing mental
health issues in the young age people found in this article are first, the expectations of higher
education and qualified job. The society assumes a young age person must be educated at the
higher qualification or must fulfil the basic qualification need assumed by the society and he
or she must be earning for them. These expectations pressurize the young age people and led
the metal stress. Second thing that cause harm to the mental wellbeing are the expectation for
the financial stability in the young age (Ramirez, Ekselius, & Ramklint, 2013).
These social compelling issues results the stressful life for the young age group and the social
welfare law need to be implemented to make the stability in the complex environment. This
article deliver that complexity of study is not challenging but the expectations of financial
stability lead the mental health issues in the young age (Landstedt, The complex relationship
between mental health and social conditions in the lives of young Australians mixing work
and study, 2017).
Relevant welfare law to mental health in Australia
Australia since 1788 is considered among the countries who are effectively participating in
the welfare and management of the mental health and psychological illness, to effectively

Mental Health Welfare Law
deal the social elements causing mental illness issues to the young age people and other age
people Australia is making effective plans since 1992. The approaches of Australian welfare
law are committed towards the proper mental health treatment of the patients. In the last
decades Australian government have introduced variety of laws amending the right security if
the people facing the mental illness treatment. Major steps or laws are as follows;
Mental Health Act 2014 is the newest concept designed by the Australian government, this
right ensures the situations- where a person require the mental health treatment, the clearly
declared and discussed criteria to treat the patient and incudes the rights reserved in the
interest of the patient. (AIHW, 2019)
This act is relate the scenario those are required to treat a patient like the mentally ill patient,
a patient facing the mental issue are unaware about their rights hence for the social welfare a
doctor need to care about the legal and ethical issues of a patient.
Mental Health Act 1983 of Australian government include the provisions relate to the
identification of the therapies that are suitable for the patient and contract of hiding identity
of the patient and providing right to live with dignity in the society (Davidson, 2016).
Australian welfare and development organisation have introduced many government operated
welfare organisations those working under Australian government to deal the effective
treatment of the mental illness in the people. The new DSM 5 is highly recommended
guidelines for the welfare of mentally ill patient is accepted to be applied by the nurses during
treatment (Think mental Health;, 2019).
This article have evaluated the articles review depending on the identification of the factors
affecting the mental stability of a person and the role of Australian government applying form
the past decades to the welfare of the patient facing the issues with the nursing treatment.

Mental Health Welfare Law
The application of the DSM and sustainable vulnerability standards is the new concept
supporting the welfare and rights of the patients.

Mental Health Welfare Law
Bibliography
AIHW. (2019, July 16). Mental health services in Australia. Retrieved October 5, 2019, from
Web report: https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/mental-health-services/mental-health-
services-in-australia/report-contents/restrictive-practices
Anand, S., & Pennington-Smith, P. A. (2013). Compulsory treatment: Rights, reforms and the
role of realism. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 895-898.
Beech, A. R., & Harkins, L. (2012). DSM-IV paraphilia: Descriptions, demographics and
treatment interventions. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 17(6), 527-539.
Brayley, J., Alston, A., & Rogers, K. (2015). Legal criteria for involuntary mental health
admission: clinician performance in recording grounds for decision. Medical Journal
of Australia, 334-334.
Bullock, S. &. (Ed.). (2017). Fundamentals of pharmacology (8 ed.). Melbourne, Australia:
Pearson Australia.
Davidson, G. B. (2016). Risk, recovery and capacity: Competing or complementary
approaches to mental health social work. Australian Social Work, 158-168.
Landstedt, E. (2017). The complex relationship between mental health and social conditions
in the lives of young Australians mixing work and study. Young , 339-358.
Landstedt, E., Coffey, J., & Nygren, M. (2016). Mental health in young Australians: a
longitudinal study. Journal of Youth Studies, 74-86.
Ramirez, A., Ekselius, L., & Ramklint, M. (2013). Axis IV – psychosocial and environmental
problems – int he DSM-IV. Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing, 20,
768–775.