Social Work and Mental Illness: Context and Consequences Report

This report delves into the domain of social work within the context of mental health, emphasizing the social dimensions and repercussions of mental illnesses. It analyzes the pivotal role of social movements in advocating for consumer rights, specifically focusing on the Australian context. The report differentiates the roles and responsibilities of social workers, highlighting their diagnostic and therapeutic interventions, and the importance of social support. Furthermore, it presents an evidence-based intervention plan, incorporating steps for problem diagnosis, assessment of mental disorder levels, treatment planning (including medication and psychological support), guidance towards positive thinking, and physiological considerations. The report underscores the significance of social workers in providing comprehensive support to individuals battling mental health challenges and the need for a holistic approach that integrates medical, psychological, and social aspects of care, as well as the importance of early intervention and awareness campaigns.

social work in mental health
STUDENT DETAILS
STUDENT DETAIL

SOCIAL HEALTH 1

SOCIAL HEALTH 2
Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................3
Role of social movements in mental health for promoting consumer rights.............................3
Roles and responsibilities of the social workers in mental health practice................................4
Intervention plan........................................................................................................................5
Step 1: Diagnose the problem by understanding the current mental condition of the person6
Step 2: Judge the level of their mental disorder:....................................................................6
Step 3: Planning for the treatment including medications and other treatment.................6
Step 4: Guide the person for focusing on the positive aspects...............................................7
Step 5: Focusing on the treatment at the physiology level.....................................................7
Conclusion..................................................................................................................................8
References..................................................................................................................................9

SOCIAL HEALTH 3
Introduction
This report will revolve around the question which describes that the domain of social
work in mental health is that of the social context and social consequences of mental illness.
Mental illness is the important focus area of social work which implies the mental disorders
that affect the mood, thinking and behaviour of an individual (Colvard, et. al., 2017).
Examples of mental illness include depression, addictive behaviours, schizophrenia, anxiety
disorders, eating disorders, etc. In this report, there will be a discussion about the role of
social movements in mental health for promoting consumer rights. Apart from this, the roles
and responsibilities of social workers will also be discussed. In the end, an evidence-based
intervention plan will be based.
Role of social movements in mental health for promoting consumer rights
The consumer movement describes the efforts to promote consumer protection
through the aspects of an organized social movement. Social movements of consumer
protections advocate the rights of the people who are suffering from mental illness. Mental
illness of the people is linked with their mental disorders (Dieterich, et. al., 2017). At the
early stage, the mental illness starts with the negative thoughts then sooner or later these
negative thoughts of an individual started settling in the deep portion of their subconscious
mind. As they continue to think for the negativity around them people started incorporating
more negative thoughts than positive thoughts (Meadows, et. al., 2012). Later on, their
negative thoughts started putting an adverse effect on their mental process which changes
their behaviour, mood, thinking ability, etc. Resultant, they become more depressed and they
encounter with the anxiety-related disorders (Guntuku, et. al., 2017).
In Australia, both private and public organizations run various social movements to
empower people and support them to fight with the problem of mental illness. Even, in

SOCIAL HEALTH 4
Australia, there are legal acts that are designed for protecting people with mental illness.
Mental Health Act 1983, covers the treatment and rights of the people who are dealing with
mental health disorders (Legislation.act.gov.au, 2020). According to this act, people who are
dealing with mental illness are entitled to get the treatment from the psychologist with
immediate efforts. Apart from there, In the Western Pacific Region, mental illness influences
in excess of 100 million of the Region's 1.8 billion individuals. Burdensome disarranges,
suicides and the immense treatment hole for individuals with extreme psychological
maladjustments stay significant general wellbeing challenges that influence numerous social
orders (Health.gov.au, 2020). The talk on emotional well-being has generally been bound to
the area of psychological well-being specialists and experts. Be that as it may, the huge
greatness of the issue requests participation from numerous segments of society. Emotional
wellness for all must be accomplished if all are associated with the advancement and
insurance of psychological wellness and prosperity. Such social developments have
demonstrated instrumental in prodding progress in other general wellbeing space (Kosyluk,
et. al., 2016).
Roles and responsibilities of the social workers in mental health practice
Social workers fulfil many roles and responsibilities in the process of mental health.
At the psychological level, they diagnose the affected people and even treat their mental
condition in an effective and efficient way (Underwood & Washington, 2016). As adverse
mental illness not only put adverse impact on the psychological condition of an individual but
it also put the adverse impact on their physiology level. Social workers help the mentally ill
people to fight with their negative thoughts with positive beliefs and optimistic behaviour.
However, when their mental illness has reached a higher level than social workers also
provides them effective medications and treatment to combat their mental illness
(Hungerford, 2017). Even, after all, social workers take the use of social media in the

SOCIAL HEALTH 5
appropriate way to spread awareness in the youngsters about the depression-related problems
running in the country. Although, social workers in Australia are focusing on educating the
young population towards the problem of depression, anxiety and mental disorders related
issues. Educating young people about depression will help them to analyse issues with a
positive mindset in an effective and efficient way (Nestler, Peña, Kundakovic, Mitchell &
Akbarian, 2016).
Apart from this, social workers are profoundly prepared experts attempting to
improve the personal satisfaction and prosperity of others through direct practice, emergency
mediation, examine, network sorting out, strategy change, support, and instructive projects.
Social laborers are devoted to the quest for social equity and endeavour to help those
influenced by destitution, handicaps, sicknesses, separation, joblessness, and other individual
issues and social drawbacks (Reuben & Schaefer, 2017). Being a social specialist requires
broad information on human conduct and improvement, just as social, social, and financial
organizations and the manners by which they interface. Most social laborers will hold in any
event a four-year certification in social work or related field, however many (particularly
clinicians) will hold a graduate degree and substantial permit to rehearse. A decent social
specialist will regularly have a high level of sympathy and compassion, energy for helping
other people, solid relational and critical thinking aptitudes and great tuning in and
authoritative abilities (Reuben & Schaefer, 2017).
Intervention plan
This invention plan will help social workers to evaluate the problem of mental illness
in the appropriate way. However, a different organization who works on the issue of social
problems have their own intervention plan (Gilbert, 2010). They always make necessary
amendments in their intervention plan as per the changing circumstances of the external and

SOCIAL HEALTH 6
internal environment. Below intervention plan is the outline of the steps to solve the problem
of mental illness in the society.
Step 1: Diagnose the problem by understanding the current mental condition of the
person:
It is important to analyse the problem in an effective way by judging the current
condition of the affected people. Analysing their behaviour and mental condition is the
appropriate way to judge the level of mental illness.
Step 2: Judge the level of their mental disorder:
In the above step, the psychologist or assigned social worker urge to find a specific
mental disorder. For example: in step 1, the assigned professional found that the person is
suffering from the mental illness of negative overthinking. Now, in this step, the professional
should judge the level of the person’s mental disorders. As, in this step, the professional will
find that the person is at the early stage of negative overthinking or at a medium stage or at an
advance stage. After analysing their mental illness level, they should for their treatment
planning in the next step (Dudgeon, Milroy & Walker, 2014).
Step 3: Planning for the treatment including medications and other treatment:
Now, the assigned professional should make a specific treatment plan for treating
his/her mental illness issue. In general, there are various medications that are profound in
curing the problem of overthinking such as: Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil, Lexapro, Celexa, etc. It is
important to note that in order to cure the problem of negative overthinking, psychology
consultancy plays an important role then medications. In various scenarios, social workers or
psychologists also incorporate the use of the "placebo effect" to cure the problem.

SOCIAL HEALTH 7
Step 4: Guide the person for focusing on the positive aspects
With medical treatment, it is important that the person should focus on the positive
aspects of life rather than the negative aspects. People who are suffering from mental illness
know it very well that they should focus on the positive aspects of life rather than focusing on
the negative aspects but still their subconscious mind focuses on the negative aspects. In this
case, the people who are suffering from the mental illness of negative overthinking should
read self-development books because reading and understanding about the functioning of the
mind will help them to combat their problem in an effective and efficient way (Austrain,
2005).
Step 5: Focusing on the treatment at the physiology level
In this section, the assigned professional should also analyse the physiology condition
of the person. As mental illness not only put adverse impact on the psychology level but it
also put the adverse effect on the physiology level (Bland, Renouf & Tullgren, 2015).

SOCIAL HEALTH 8
Conclusion
It is concluded that in Australian both private and the public organization runs various
social movements for empowering people to combat the problem of their mental illness. In
this report, it is discussed that social workers fulfil various roles and responsibilities. They
provide effective treatment to the affected person and they also provide them support.
However, the problem of mental illness requires more psychological support than the support
of the medications. Apart from this, the intervention plan which consists of 5 steps is also
discussed in this report. This intervention plan suggested that the assigned psychologist or
social worker should first start with analysing the condition of the person and then they
should adopt necessary steps to helps the affected person in overcoming the problem.

SOCIAL HEALTH 9
References
Austrian, S. (2005). Mental disorders, medications and clinical social work (3rd ed.). New
York: Columbia University Press.
Bland, R., Renouf, N. & Tullgren, A. (2015). Social work practice in mental health (2nd Ed).
Crows Nest, Australia: Allen & Unwin.
Colvard, M. D., Jackson, M. T., Oliveira, R., Scholtes, K., Burghart, S., Gutíerrez, C. A. &
VandenBerg, A. (2017). Consumer satisfaction with the National Alliance on Mental
Illness written medicine information. Mental Health Clinician, 7(2), 74-80.
Dieterich, M., Irving, C. B., Bergman, H., Khokhar, M. A., Park, B., & Marshall, M. (2017).
Intensive case management for severe mental illness. Cochrane database of
systematic reviews, (1), 90-110.
Dudgeon,P.,Milroy,M. & Walker,R. (eds) (2014). Working together: Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander mental health and wellbeing principles and practice (2nd ed),
Australian Government Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet. Canberra.
Gilbert, P. (2010). Social work and mental health – the value of everything (2nd ed). Russell
House, UK.
Guntuku, S. C., Yaden, D. B., Kern, M. L., Ungar, L. H., & Eichstaedt, J. C. (2017).
Detecting depression and mental illness on social media: an integrative
review. Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences, 18, 43-49.
Health.gov.au. (2020). Mental Health. Retrieved from: https://www.health.gov.au/health-
topics/mental-health

SOCIAL HEALTH 10
Hungerford, C. (2017). Mental health care (3rd ed.). Retrieved from
https://ebookcentral.proquest.com
Kosyluk, K. A., Al-Khouja, M., Bink, A., Buchholz, B., Ellefson, S., Fokuo, K. & Powell, K.
(2016). Challenging the stigma of mental illness among college students. Journal of
Adolescent Health, 59(3), 325-331.
Legislation.act.gov.au. (2020). Mental Health Act 1983. Retrieved from:
https://legislation.act.gov.au/a/1983-52/
Meadows, G., Farhall,J., Fossey,E., Grigg, M., McDermott, F., & Singh, B. (Eds.) (2012).
Mental health in Australia: collaborative community practice (3rd ed.). South
Melbourne: Oxford University Press.
Nestler, E. J., Peña, C. J., Kundakovic, M., Mitchell, A., & Akbarian, S. (2016). Epigenetic
basis of mental illness. The Neuroscientist, 22(5), 447-463.
Reuben, A., & Schaefer, J. (2017). Mental illness is far more common than we
knew. Scientific American Mind, 28(6), 39-42.
Underwood, L. A., & Washington, A. (2016). Mental illness and juvenile
offenders. International journal of environmental research and public health, 13(2),
228-250.