Recorded Presentation: Mental Health Awareness Among Aboriginals

This presentation focuses on mental health awareness within Australian Aboriginal communities. It begins by defining mental health and highlights its prevalence globally. The presentation then addresses the mental health challenges faced by Indigenous Australians, including historical context, the impact of colonization, and policies like the 'stolen generation.' It identifies symptoms such as social isolation and hopelessness, along with contributing factors like cultural loss, economic disparities, and discrimination. Furthermore, the presentation outlines the steps taken by the Australian government to address mental health issues, such as awareness programs and counseling services, while emphasizing the need to overcome taboos and the role of cultural beliefs in recovery. The presentation also includes academic references to support the information presented.

MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS
AMONG AUSTRALIAN
ABORIGINALS

About Mental Health
It is psychological or behavioural
dysfunction that affects the
person’s interaction with the
outside world..
According to World Health
Organization, around 450 million
people around the globe suffer
from it (World Health Organization,
2019).
The goal of this presentation is to

Indigenous Australian: Mental
Health
Health provider of Torres islander
communities once advised to stop
using the words “ram ram” for
denoting mental illness to community
members.
The mental health statics has risen by
33% in 2014-15(Jorm, & Bourchier,
2012).
The hospitalization rate due to
intentional self-harm has risen by 56%

Mental Health: History
According to Historical evidences
Aboriginals led a healthy and happy
lifestyle.
Colonisation by British from 1788 had
disrupted their lifestyle.
Marginalisation, wide-scale poverty and
policies such as “stolen generation” had
caused intergenerational psychological
trauma(Brown & Scales, 2012).

SYMPTOMS
Social Isolation
Hopelessness
Anxiety
Vague thoughts
Fatigue

Causes
Cultural loss
Lack of economic Opportunities
Cruel policies
High rate of addiction
High-scale discrimination

Negative impact
Increase in the rate of domestic violence.
Low productivity.
High unemployment.
Increase in health problems.
High suicide rates (The department of
health Australian government, 2013)

Taboo related to Mental
Health
Supernatural element.
Punishment of sins from God
Insanity
Black magic

Steps Taken By Australian Government
to cure mental health problems
Awareness programs
Counselling Hubs.
Doctors on Visit
Health camps

Conclusion
Mental health is a wide-spread issue among
aboriginal communities.
The old belief system poses a problem in its
recovery.
Mental illness is the prime cause of low
productivity among the population.
Discrimination is the major cause of mental
trauma

Bibliography
Austrailain Indigenious Healthinfonet, 2019. Depression and other mood
disorders. [Online]
Available at: https://healthinfonet.ecu.edu.au/learn/health-topics/social-and-
emotional-wellbeing/depression-and-other-mood-disorders/
[Accessed 25 August 2019].
Brown, A. & Scales, U., 2012. Exploring the expression of depression and
distress in aboriginal men in central Australia: a qualitative study. BMC
Psychiatry, 12(2), pp. 12-97.
Jorm,, A. . F. & Bourchier, . S. . J., 2012. Mental health of Indigenous
Australians. The Medical Journal of Australia, 196(2), pp. 118-112.
The department of health Australian government, 2013. Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander suicide: origins, trends and incidence. [Online]
Available at:
https://www1.health.gov.au/internet/publications/publishing.nsf/Content/
mental-natsisps-strat-toc~mental-natsisps-strat-1~mental-natsisps-strat-1-ab
[Accessed 25 August 2019].
World Health Organization, 2019. Mental disorders affect one in four people.
[Online]
Available at: https://www.who.int/whr/2001/media_centre/press_release/en/
[Accessed 25 August 2019].