Analysis of the National Mental Health Policy 2008 Essay

This essay provides a comprehensive analysis of the National Mental Health Policy 2008 in Australia. It begins by defining mental health and social policy, setting the context for the policy's examination. The essay discusses the policy's objectives, which include promoting mental health, reducing the impact of mental illness, and ensuring access to care. It explores the policy's implementation, highlighting the roles of various organizations, including government bodies, ministerial advisory councils, and non-government organizations. The essay also addresses factors that hinder the policy's success, such as funding shortages, workforce issues, and cultural barriers. The essay concludes by emphasizing the importance of mental health and the ongoing efforts to improve mental health services in Australia, while acknowledging the challenges that remain.

Running Head: MHP 0
mental health policy
Essay
DECEMBER 31, 2019

MHP 1
Mental health policy
The mental health of an individual involves the emotions, social and psychological
wellbeing. It impacts how a person thinks, sense and act. It also determines the methods one
uses to address stress and anxiety related problems in his or her life. Mental health issues
might occur at different phases of life and can be triggered by different life events. One
should have different strategies and coping skills necessary for reducing the mental health
issues and achieving recovery (Pilgrim, 2019). Mental health issues affect individuals from
different age groups. It is not restricted to a specific country or region. It is affecting people
from all around the world. There are different mental health issues that can be occurred
throughout the lifespan of an individual. For example, stress, anxiety, and depression. To
address the mental health issues different government and non-government organizations,
and health settings must work collaboratively and develop different social policies (Worden,
2018). A social policy is a policy takes place commonly within the governmental or a
political setting. A social policy includes guidelines, ideologies, legislation, and happenings
that impact the living circumstances conducive to human welfare, for example, an
individual's' quality of life (Wahlbeck, 2015). In this particular essay, the national mental
health policy 2008 will be discussed, including its association with mental health issues.
Most Australian population will be openly or indirectly affected by the influence of
mental disease at a certain point in their lives. Psychological disease is common, with 3
people of people experiencing severe or recurring disease and up to 45 per cent of people
experiencing mental disease throughout their lives. The influence on those exaggerated, for
their relatives and carers, and the Australian public can be reflective (Farrer, Walker,
Harrison & Banfield, 2018).

MHP 2
The policy implants an entire government method to mental health, primary approved
by the Council of Australian Governments in the July month of 2006, inside the National
Mental Health Strategy. National mental health policy 2008 signifies a renewed promise by
all health ministers and the politicians with accountability for psychological health to the
repeated development of Australia's psychological health structure (Mental health Australia,
2009). It acts towards confirming that the country has a psychological health system that
notices and mediates early in the disease, indorses recovery, and guarantees that all
Australians with mental health problems have access to efficient and suitable management
and public supports to allow them to contribute in the society completely. It also identifies
that certain groups in the public, counting indigenous individuals, homeless and deprived
individuals, those exposed to disturbing events and with severe or long-lasting health issues
are at sensitive risk of psychological health issues and mental disorders (Meurk et al., 2015).
The Policy delivers an all-encompassing vision and intent for the psychological health
structure in Australia and surrounds the government initiated method to mental health reform
that shaped the centrepiece of the COAG National Action Plan on Psychological Health
(Mental health Australia, 2009). The main of this policy includes promoting the
psychological health and welfare of the Australian public and, where imaginable, stop the
expansion of mental health difficulties and mental disorders; decrease the influence of mental
health glitches and mental disease, counting the impacts of stigma on persons, families and
the society; encourage retrieval from mental health glitches and mental disease, and promise
the rights of persons with health complications and mental disease, and allow them to
contribute evocatively in society (Fletcher et al., 2019).
Different aspects and organizations are supporting the policy to achieve its intended
outcomes. A significant first step in the direction of the goal of better whole of government
accountability expressed in the Policy has been the presence of Ministerial Advisory Councils

MHP 3
on the related Group accountable for the progress of this policy. The ministerial advisory
councils play an import part and supporting the policy to achieve its goals (Analysis and
policy observatory, 2009). The situations in which other subdivisions come into interaction
with persons, either directly or by the evolution of people through facility systems, deliver
valuable starting themes for further teamwork and integration. The policy implementation is
directed by gratitude that good psychological health, like favourable physical health, is
determined by numerous aspects within the specific, and also inside families and societies.
Different education institutes and health settings in Australia considering the fact physical
health and mental health are linked to each other and one can affect others. Thus, the
education institutes nowadays are allowing the students to learn about the mental health
problems and its related policies. How and where people live, work, their access to education,
and their relationships all impact mental health and wellbeing. Similarly, when health
facilities are required, and how and where these are delivered effects individual experience.
the government organization considering that effective education living conditions, life style
can affect the mental health of an individual. This supports the policy and its implementation
in different sectors. To recover people from mental health issues there is a need for action and
obligation from all parts of government, and the public (Mental health Australia, 2009).
Health ministers and psychological health ministers at the level of state, territory and
international level required to work with their ministerial contemporaries in relevant groups
to advocate for matching policy and service advancement, counting prioritizing these
decisions associated with budget. The Government services for example employment
facilities, while others, for example, correctional facilities are chiefly determined by policy at
the state or territory stage. In each, some parts will influence on psychological health and
mental health facilities. The non-government organization also played a key role in the
successful achievements of policy goals. The sector has to turn out to be a significant and

MHP 4
essential part of the system of services for persons with mental health difficulties and mental
disease (Paul, Street, Wheeler & Singh, 2015). The non-government subdivision provides
central support to persons, in addition to carers and relatives. Non-government subdivision
services comprise psychiatric disability provision facilities, advocacy amenities, peer backing
facilities, consumer-operated facilities, and programs addressing extents, for example, living
skills, occupational training, housing support, and relief care. In different instances, the non-
government subdivision also delivers clinical facilities. The provision of suitable housing and
support for persons with mental health complications and mental disease is extensively
recognized as enhancing the efficiency of treatment and preservation of positive results, and
decreasing communal resistance to deinstitutionalization (Jorm, 2015).
As different organizations and aspects supporting the policy to achieve its goals, there
are also some factors hindering the policy to achieve its intended results. A range of socio-
political and ideological processes might also affect the attributions if the policy's success and
failure by shaping the types of the framework that are made and applied and how they are
examined and interpreted. Australia functions under a federated structure of government
(Australian Disability Clearinghouse, 2019). One important feature is an upright fiscal
inequity arising from Federal Government regulation over tax returns, allowing augmented
Federal Government effect over health policy and facility delivery functions conventionally
held in reserve for the States and Territories. In the case of psychological health, for instance,
the use of Federal allowances and other monetary inducements is tied to obedience with
agreed standards. The lack of funds being provided to support the successful implementation
of this policy is the main issue (Bensonn, Thistlethwaite & Moore, 2018). The health care
providers experience a very tight working schedule throughout their shifts, therefore they
experience difficulty in following the policy effectively in their health care setting. this
hinders the policy. The implementation of the policy in the healthcare settings putting extra

MHP 5
pressure on the healthcare professional and this causes a lack of employee interest in the use
of this policy. This also results in a lack of workforces in the system as most of the
employees leaving their jobs due to this extra pressure (Paul, Street, Wheeler & Singh, 2015).
Workforce problems have been identified as a challenge meanwhile the beginning of
the unique National Mental Health Policy. Notwithstanding continued energy and expansion,
the staffing and holding of medical and non-clinical workforces to mental health facilities
remain an extent of worry. The supply and delivery of professionals in the pertinent service
subdivisions reinforce the efficiency of the broad method in addressing the psychological
health of the Australians population. These professionals require to be sufficiently trained to
provide high quality facilities. There must be adequate numbers of health care providers to
meet public requirements across the public, private organizations and non-government
subdivisions (Banfield, Morse, Gulliver & Griffiths, 2018). This comprises psychiatrists, GP
or general practitioners, psychologists, psychological health nurses, social workers,
professional therapists and mental health workforces from Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander. The national mental health policy functions towards making sure that every
Australian community has the mental health structure that classifies and intervenes quickly in
the illness, endorses recovery and make sure that all communities with the mental illness
have the access to current and proper treatment and helps to allow them to contribute in the
community completely. Several communities are living in the Australian region that has
different cultures and beliefs which hinder them from taking advantage of the healthcare
setting. The communities like Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders have low education
levels. Therefore, they are not aware of the benefits of the policy and the rights it provides to
them (Australian Disability Clearinghouse, 2019). Implementing activities in most cases lack
suitable modern technology, decision-making skill and directorial capacity that are a
precondition for effective policy application, the actions adopted in policy applications are

MHP 6
such that are not reliable with policy aims. And occasionally cultural consideration hinders
the adoption of contemporary technology in extents of program execution. Another hindering
factor associated with the failure of achieving the outcomes is the unskilled health care
provided or lack of training provided by the health care setting to their employees. Different
health care providers like nurses, nurse assistants, and mental health care workers do not
enough information about the policy and its importance in the mental health department.
Most of the employees are not skilled and have low experience in working with older adults
with mental health issues (Bee et al., 2015).
In conclusion, the mental health of an individual is correspondingly important for
overall health and it directly associated with physical health. The government bodies working
to improve the quality of services associated with mental health in Australian regions.
Therefore, there are different policies have been made to provide effective care to the people
living in Austria. One of the main mental health policies implemented in the Australian
health care system is the National mental health policy 2008. This policy acts towards
ensuring the diagnosis and early treatment of mental health issues, achieving recovery, and
ensuring the improving the access to effective and high-quality support to the public. There
are different organizations and aspects are contributing to the achievement of goals already
set by the policymakers such as the education department including mental health learning
matter of the students, ministerial advisory councils, and other non-government
organizations. The social workers working in communities like the indigenous population
helping the people to understand the policy and its related benefits for the people. With the
different supporting factors, there are also some factors hindering the policy from achieving
its outcome such as lack of education among the indigenous communities, problems with
employees’ interest in the policy implementation, employee retention, lack of funding in the
mental health care sector.

MHP 7

MHP 8
References
Analysis and policy observatory (2009). National mental health policy 2008. Retrieved from:
https://apo.org.au/node/1204
Australian Disability Clearinghouse (2019). National Mental Health Policy 2008. Retrieved
from: https://www.adcet.edu.au/resource/6546/national-mental-health-policy-2008/
Banfield, M. A., Morse, A. R., Gulliver, A., & Griffiths, K. M. (2018). Mental health
research priorities in Australia: a consumer and carer agenda. Health research policy
and systems, 16(1), 119.
Bee, P., Brooks, H., Fraser, C., & Lovell, K. (2015). Professional perspectives on service user
and carer involvement in mental health care planning: a qualitative
study. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 52(12), 1834-1845.
Bensonn, J., Thistlethwaite, J., & Moore, P. (2018). Mental Health Across Cultures: a
practical guide for health professionals. CRC Press.
Corscadden, L., Callander, E. J., & Topp, S. M. (2018). Disparities in access to health care in
Australia for people with mental health conditions. Australian Health Review.
Farrer, L. M., Walker, J., Harrison, C., & Banfield, M. (2018). Primary care access for mental
illness in Australia: Patterns of access to general practice from 2006 to 2016. PloS
one, 13(6), e0198400.
Fletcher, J., Hamilton, B., Kinner, S. A., & Brophy, L. M. (2019). Safewards impact on
inpatient mental health units in Victoria Australia: Staff perspectives. Frontiers in
psychiatry, 10, 462.
Jorm, A. F. (2015). Why we need the concept of “mental health literacy”. Health
communication, 30(12), 1166-1168.

MHP 9
Mental health Australia (2009). National mental health policy 2008. Retrieved from:
https://www1.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/B4A903FB48158B
AECA257BF0001D3AEA/$File/finpol08.pdf
Meurk, C., Whiteford, H., Head, B., Hall, W., & Carah, N. (2015). Media and evidence-
informed policy development: the case of mental health in Australia. Contemporary
Social Science, 10(2), 160-170.
Paul, M., Street, C., Wheeler, N., & Singh, S. P. (2015). Transition to adult services for
young people with mental health needs: a systematic review. Clinical child
psychology and psychiatry, 20(3), 436-457.
Pilgrim, D. (2019). Key concepts in mental health. SAGE Publications Limited.
Wahlbeck, K. (2015). Public mental health: the time is ripe for translation of evidence into
practice. World Psychiatry, 14(1), 36-42.
Worden, J. W. (2018). Grief counseling and grief therapy: A handbook for the mental health
practitioner. Springer Publishing Company.