Essay: Addressing Significant Mental Health Issues Facing Australia

This essay identifies dementia and depression as the major mental health issues prevalent in Australia. It provides statistical data highlighting the prevalence of these disorders, noting that 1 in 10 Australians suffered from dementia in 2016 and 2.1 million Australians suffered from depression in 2014-2015. The essay discusses the characteristics, risk factors, and impacts of both depression and dementia on individuals' wellbeing and quality of life. It also explores various interventions, including pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical approaches, psychological therapies like cognitive reframing and reminiscence therapy, and adult day-care centers, to address these mental health disorders and support both patients and caregivers. The essay concludes by emphasizing the importance of implementing these interventions to improve the lives of those affected by dementia and depression.

Running head: PORTFOLIO TASK
Task 1, 2 and 3
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1PORTFOLIO TASK
Portf
olio
task
Description
Essay
task
1:
Savy, P., & Sawyer, A. M. (2009). Mental illness: understandings, experience and
service provision. Oxford University Press. Retrieved from
http://arrow.latrobe.edu.au:8080/vital/access/manager/Repository/latrobe:3
1075?sort=ss_dateNormalized%5C
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2016). 4364.0.55.001 - National Health Survey:
First Results, 2014-15. Retrieved from
https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Lookup/by%20Subject/4364.0.5
5.001~2014-15~Main%20Features~Mental%20and%20behavioural
%20conditions~32
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. (2016). Dementia-overview. Retrieved
from https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports-data/health-conditions-disability-
deaths/dementia/overview
Essay
task
2:
 Thesis statement- This essay will establish dementia and depression as the
major mental health related issues that are prevalent in Australia, and also
provide a description of the interventions to address the mental disorders.
 Mental illness or disorders are characteristically considered as a difficulty
connected to the mind of a person.
 1 in 10 Australians suffered from dementia in 2016.
 2.1 million Australians suffered from depression in 2014-2015.
 MDD is chiefly characterised by the presence of signs and symptoms
associated to loss of interest in activities, pain without definite cause,

2PORTFOLIO TASK
persistent low mood, poor self-esteem, and low energy.
 It exerts negative influence on the general wellbeing, personal functioning,
and work life, education, sleeping, and eating habits.
 Biological, psychological, and social factors lead to the onset of
depression.
 Environmental exposure, genetic factors, and childhood trauma contribute
to depression.
 44 variants related to depression identified from genome wide studies.
 Prevalence rate more amid women (10.4%), in contrast to males (7.4%).
 Depression causes loss in body weight, hypersomnia, loss of appetite,
insomnia, fatigue and lethargy.
 There occurs an augmented likelihood of cardiovascular complications and
diabetes mellitus.
 It leads to suicidal tendencies among patients.
 Administration of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) will
reduce relapse rates.
 Common non-pharmaceutical interventions would encompass
psychoeducation, light therapy, and counselling sessions.
 Dementia is neurological disorder and causes a reduction in capability to
think and remember.
 It causes disturbance in language processing abilities, memory, problem-
solving ability, attention, and visual-spatial abilities.
 Common symptoms comprise of wandering or restlessness, balance
problems, irritability, and variations in sleep and appetite.
 Symptoms of cognitive impairment and trouble in finishing activities of

3PORTFOLIO TASK
daily living are observed amid patients.
 13,729 deaths in Australia were accredited to dementia in 2017.
 447,115 Australians anticipated to be currently living with this condition.
 Distinguished alterations includes shrinkage in hippocampus.
 Formation of plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in the brain in AD.
 Impairment of blood supply found in vascular dementia.
 It generates considerable impact on the quality of life.
 Patients normally struggle while coping with their emotions related to
dementia.
 They feel worried about their prospect.
 Jerky movements due to dementia increase fall risks.
 Loss of appetite and trouble in swallowing results in malnutrition.
 It also creates emotional burden on the family members and caregivers
 Cognitive reframing and reminiscence therapy are common psychological
therapies to be administered upon the patients
 Adult day-care centres will prove operative in delivery of care services to
dementia patients.
 Taking into account provision of recreation, monitoring, and meals of the
patients will provide relief to caregivers.
 Acetylcholine inhibitor donepezil should also be administered.
 Mental health and wellbeing is connected to the social and emotional
wellbeing of individuals and the society.
Essay
task
3:
1. Introduction Source/s
General topic
statement
Establishing depression and dementia as
the major mental health issues that are
(Savy &
Sawyer,

4PORTFOLIO TASK
Background
information
Definition
(optional)
Thesis statement
prevalent across Australia.
Providing a definition for mental illness
with supporting facts from the World
Health Organization. Outlining statistical
data regarding the prevalence of depression
and dementia in recent years, in Australia.
Establishing depression and dementia as
the major mental healthcare concern, and
elaborating on the interventions that will
help in addressing the issues.
2009)
(WHO,
2017)
(WHO,
2012)
(AIHW,
2016) (ABS,
2016)
1st Body Paragraph Source/s
Topic Sentence
Support points
(e.g. reason,
quoted,
description,
statistic, example
- cited)
Depression or Major Depressive Disorder
(MDD) is a severe mental health problem,
and creates significant impacts on health
and wellbeing of patients.
Discussion of the common signs,
symptoms and rates of prevalence across
Australia. Explanation of the health burden
created by depression.
Discussion of the major factors that
increase the risk for suffering from
(Greenberg,
Fournier,
Sisitsky, Pike
& Kessler,
2015)
(Habtewold,
Islam, Radie
& Tegegne,
2016)
(Colodro-
Conde et al.,

5PORTFOLIO TASK
depression.
Explaining the occurrence of the mental
disorder based on different models and
prior research evidences.
2018) (Wray
et al., 2018)
(AIHW,
2016)
2nd Body Paragraph Source/s
Topic Sentence
Support points
Impacts of depression on the health and
quality of life of the patients.
Discussion of comorbid conditions that are
associated with depression.
Identification of the complications of
depression and exhaustive explanation on
the different interventions that can help to
address the issues.
Supporting the interventions with
evidences.
(Potter,
McQuoid &
Steffens,
2015) (van
Strien,
Konttinen,
Homberg,
Engels &
Winkens,
2016)
(Godlewska,
Browning,
Norbury,
Cowen &
Harmer,
2016)
3rd Body Paragraph Source/s

6PORTFOLIO TASK
Topic Sentence
Support points
(e.g. reason,
quoted,
description,
statistic, example
- cited)
Dementia is an umbrella term that results
in serious health problem, and brings about
a momentous impacts on the wellbeing of
patients.
Discussion of the common signs,
symptoms and types of dementia namely,
vascular dementia and AD.
Discussion on the prevalence rates of
dementia across Australia. Description of
the health burden created by dementia.
Explanation on the different factors that are
responsible for the onset of dementia.
Supporting the causes with evidences.
(Jung, 2015)
(Hendriks,
Smalbrugge,
Hertogh &
van der
Steen, 2014)
(ABS, 2016)
(Okamura et
al., 2014) (T
O'Brien &
Thomas,
2015)
4th Body
Paragraph
Source/s
Topic Sentence
Support points
Impacts of dementia on the health and
quality of life of the patients.
Discussion of the comorbid conditions that
are allied with dementia.
Documentation of the difficulties of
(van Alphen
et al., 2016)
(Woods,
O'Philbin,
Farrell,
Spector &
Orrell, 2018)

7PORTFOLIO TASK
dementia and comprehensive explanation
of the diverse interventions that can aid to
address the identified issues.
Providing supportive evidences for the
interventions.
(Birks &
Harvey,
2018)
2. Conclusion
Restatement of
thesis
Summary of the
main points
Dementia and depression lead to major
healthcare complications and create a
substantial impact on the mental and
physical health of the patients.
High prevalence of dementia and
depression among Australians and their
effects require immediate implementation
of the discussed interventions, to improve
quality of life of the patients and their care
givers.
Table 1- Portfolio for task 1, 2 and 3