Bachelor of Applied Social Science

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2001

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Bachelor of Applied Social Science Assessment 3: Report Student Name: Student ID: 1

Introduction The mental health of the general population need to be seen as an essential component of public health policy. The phrases "mental disorder" and "mental illness" may be used interchangeably to represent a wide variety of behavioral issues and mental health diseases. This is contingent on criteria such as the severity of the ailment, how long it lasts, and the pathophysiology of the condition. In Australia, the most frequent types of mental disease are those that are related to substance use, such as depression and anxiety disorders (Tam & Clarke, 2015). According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, one in four people in Australia may have a problem related to their mental health at some time in their life. In addition, Australia's mental health problems are responsible for 13% of the country's overall sickness burden (Dillon et al., 2005). Every individual in Australia is affected, in some way, by the stigma that surrounds mental health in the nation. It is possible for the burden of health professionals to grow when sickness strikes members of the community as well as members of their own families. Mental illness is a significant challenge for both the economy and the level of productivity in Australia. The Australian nation as a whole has high healthcare costs and suffers the greatest financial losses as a result of lower productivity (Parker, 2017). Given the above factors, it is of the utmost importance that the state provide the problem of mental illness the same amount of attention that it does to other aspects of health care. The primary objective of this study is to conduct an examination of the present-day standing of Australia's mental health care system as well as the roles that psychotherapists and counselors play within that system (Cox, 2015; Parker, 2017). Examination of current attitudes to mental health in Australia The Australian federal government is the organization responsible for providing services related to mental health in the country of Australia. In Australia, the provision of medical services is a shared responsibility of the federal government, the governments of the states and territories, and the private sector (Simpson et al., 2000). At every level of government in Australia, there is access to a diverse range of community healthcare, public hospitals, and government-sponsored consultant, specialized, residential mental healthcare, and other mental health organizations. This is the case in Australia as well. The leadership that Australia demonstrates in the administration and creation of mental health policies is acknowledged globally (Tailby et al., 2020). Australia is 2

one of the few nations that has built its own comprehensive strategy for mental health, relying on a solid foundation and multiple earlier revisions of the plan. The creative use of technology in Australia has been very beneficial to the provision of mental health care services in that nation. Access to digital resources, such as information on accessible health care services and options for virtual therapy, may be gained in Australia by visiting websites that are either publicly or privately run (Van Rheenen et al., 2020). eMHprac is comprised of a variety of different kinds of digital platforms and services, some examples of which are suicide callback services, the Black Dog Institute, the Kids Helpline, Reach Out, Headspace, and Mental Health Australia, as well as a great number of others (Banfield et al., 2014). At the present time, services for mental health are provided without charge by every public sector. The federal government of Australia is entirely responsible for meeting the financial obligations associated with the provision of both urgent and preventive medical care (Tailby et al., 2020). Medicare, the national health insurance program that the Australian government uses to pay for the country's health care system, provides rebates to all of the country's residents, generates more positive results, and lessens the impact of sickness on society more than any other system (Parker, 2017; Tailby et al., 2020). A comprehensive and evidence-based support system for suicide prevention, mental health data collecting, and victim identification and help will receive 118 million dollars from the federal government during the fiscal year 2022–2023. This funding will be allocated during the fiscal year 2022–2023. When it comes to funding and delivering services for the public sector, the government and territorial state are responsible for utilising the money that has been allocated (Simpson et al., 2000). For instance, the federal government of Victoria announced $2.4 billion for risking in the 2021– 2022 budget year, with the objective of utilizing the money to establish a national suicide prevention strategy over the course of the next four years. An investigation conducted by the Royal Commission into Victoria's Mental Health System served as the foundation for this declaration. The budget for mental health will aid the federal government in addressing early intervention, prevention, treatment of mental disorders, support for areas that are underserved, and shortages of healthcare workers (Tailby et al., 2020; Van Rheenen et al., 2020). Because of the creative ways that have been created by Australia's mental health services, the nation has become a pioneer in this subject all over the globe. Since 1992, the mental health 3

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services in Australia have been establishing a new strategy to address mental health challenges once every five years as part of their ongoing commitment to continuous improvement (Duckett & Willcox, 2015). As an example, in August of 2021, the Prime Minister of Australia presented the Productivity Commission Mental Health Consultancy to the public. This organization provides assistance with societal reforms for the mental health system in Australia. The commission provides assistance in the formulation of a detailed plan to guarantee the most efficient distribution of services and an improvement in the standard of living for all Australians. Adjustments that were made in Australia are responsible for an additional revenue boost of $1.2 billion on the yearly distribution budget, which will help facilitate the delivery of services (Banfield et al., 2014; Duckett & Willcox, 2015). The Australian commission lays an emphasis on early prevention of mental health difficulties and techniques of suicide prevention in order to lessen the burden of late-stage diagnosis. The fifth iteration of the Suicide Prevention Strategy and the National Mental Health Action Plan have both been produced in order to address problems relating to mental health within the time range defined by the mission, which extends from 2022 to 2017. The state has a more comprehensive strategy that is referred to as vision 2030, and it is intended to alter the trajectory of the nation in order to enhance mental health care and the system for preventing suicide (Cox, 2015; Simpson et al., 2000). The widespread presence of Covid-19 has resulted in consequences that have far-reaching implications for both mental health and total health. It is quite possible that the covid-19 has made the present mental health crisis even worse by raising the level of psychological discomfort. Participation in or worsening of a long-term mental disease is the most significant barrier. On the other hand, the measures actually contributed to a decline in mental health in Australia. The majority of people in Australia have experimented with drugs like smoking, which are known to have adverse impacts on mental health. These same persons also have erratic sleeping patterns and bad dietary habits (Tailby et al., 2020; Tiller et al., 2021). There are a lot of damaging myths and misconceptions flying around that may have a negative impact on people's mental health. The general populace often has the mistaken belief that those 4

who suffer from mental illness have a tendency toward aggressive behavior and irritability. People who suffer from mental illness are frequently misunderstood as being reserved or withdrawn from the company of others. The vast majority of people have negative perceptions of those who suffer from mental illness and have a tendency to see them as being weak (Mitchell et al., 2015). Contrary to popular belief, mental illness has nothing to do with a lack of willpower or laziness on the part of the patient. A person's mental health may be affected by their life experiences, genetics, environment, and the pressures they are exposed to during their lifetime. Second, there are some people who downplay the seriousness of mental illness because they falsely think they are resistant to the symptoms it causes (Chikritzhs, 2009). Because Australia is home to more than 1.3 million medical professionals, the healthcare industry is the country's most lucrative sector. The existing healthcare system, on the other hand, is under great pressure as a result of a variety of issues, including a diminishing number of college graduates each year, an increasing number of elderly people, and a quickly growing population (Bennett-Levy et al., 2021). Due to a shortage of skilled medical workers in the country, the general population receives inadequate treatment, which in turn drives up expenses and places further strain on the nation's healthcare system. Two more problems that have been brought to light are a lack of thorough therapy and an inadequate number of hospital beds (Hinchcliff et al., 2012; Mitchell et al., 2015). Despite an increase in the number of initiatives taken to combat the issue, mental health issues continue to worsen. In any given year, mental health issues may be experienced by one in every five young adults in Australia who are between the ages of 17 and 20 (Hinchcliff et al., 2012; Mitchell et al., 2015). Another significant challenge that the science of mental health must deal with is the significant disparity in health that occurs between the various demographic subgroups of the population. People who make their homes on the streets are at a greater risk of developing mental illnesses. The obstacles that Australia's rural aboriginal and invisible homeless communities confront, such as a lack of access to general health care, affordable housing, and high-quality education, contribute to the exacerbation of mental illness in those groups. These dangers pose a risk to a population that is already vulnerable (Hinchcliff et al., 2012; Simpson et al., 2000). 5

Changes that required sustainable and equitable mental health system in Australia  Mental health workers, like therapists, nurses, counselors, and doctors, are told to take a patient-centered approach to care so they can meet the needs of each person better. Smart use of technology makes it possible to give more personal care, do better assessments and treatments, and send people to the right places (Moreno et al., 2020).  Mental health issues need to be made more known to the public and their number needs to go down. Mental health problems should be a top priority in society and in families so that everyone can get the knowledge and care they need. The national government put in place more rules and processes to avoid mental sickness, help people get help early, and raise understanding (Berry et al., 2018).  The government should set guidelines and a way to report on things like how well money is being spent, how well mental health services work, and what the level of care is in the field. There needs to be a way to make sure that money spent on mental health care gets the best results and makes people's lives better (Hayes et al., 2018).  The government should look at businesses other than health care, like jobs, housing, schooling, and social services, to figure out what factors lead to bad mental health. For example, people in Australia who lost their jobs during the pandemic were more likely to have sadness and other mental health problems. Mental health disparities might be helped by policies and actions that boost the economy and put more people to work (Chung et al., 2022). Counsellors’ and psychotherapists’ current role in the mental health system in Australia Counselors and psychotherapists help many individuals with mental health concerns by providing professional therapy and emotional support. The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2021 forecasts that psychotherapists and counselors, in partnership with other healthcare professionals, treated up to 4.5 million individuals between 2020 and 2022, costing the federal government up to $11 billion (Schofield, 2008). According to the AIH in 2021, 84% 6

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of the 4.5 million people who got services in 2020–2022 were treated by general specialists, 8% by psychiatrists, and 5% by non-psychiatrist clinicians. These services are offered by private and governmental mental health centers. The mental health care system depends a lot on psychotherapists and counselors to give people the therapy and mental help they often don't have. The health sector's counseling services help people who are in a mental health crisis by giving them hope and easing their worry. During the height of the pandemic, counselors and psychotherapists from the health care business were very important (Bennett-Levy et al., 2021; Davies et al., 2022). Lastly, both psychotherapists and psychologists reach out to the public and teach people about mental health problems. Counselors work with people to make lasting changes in their behavior so that they can have a better quality of life and better health. The counselor may help the patient reach goals like getting better at dealing with sadness or giving up drugs (Chikritzhs, 2009; Fisher, 2005; Hinchcliff et al., 2012). Conclusion Australia is the best place in the world to get mental health care because it has an excellent mental health system. In Australia, the federal and state governments combine their Medicare payments to help pay for the country's national health care system. Over the past 40 years, the government has worked with other levels of government to come up with a five-year plan and mental health programs that are meant to improve the mental health of the country as a whole. When it comes to mental health care, the government is committed to giving its citizens benefits that make their lives better. But there are problems, like a lack of staff, health differences between Aboriginal and homeless groups, and a lot of people with mental health problems. Some groups have damaging ideas and beliefs about the mental health business that need to be changed. Psychotherapists and counselors are very important parts of Australia's health care system because they give people direction, mental and physical comfort, and therapy care. It's important to say that the state should offer more services to lessen the differences in mental health. Health care workers have a duty to teach people about mental health and remove common myths and false beliefs. 7

References Banfield, M. A., Barney, L. J., Griffiths, K. M., & Christensen, H. M. (2014). Australian mental health consumers’ priorities for research: Qualitative findings from the SCOPE for Research project. Health Expectations , 17 (3), 365–375. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1369- 7625.2011.00763.x Bennett-Levy, J., Singer, J., Rotumah, D., Bernays, S., & Edwards, D. (2021). From Digital Mental Health to Digital Social and Emotional Wellbeing: How Indigenous Community- Based Participatory Research Influenced the Australian Government’s Digital Mental Health Agenda. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health , 18 (18), Article 18. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18189757 Berry, H. L., Waite, T. D., Dear, K. B. G., Capon, A. G., & Murray, V. (2018). The case for systems thinking about climate change and mental health. Nature Climate Change , 8 (4), Article 4. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-018-0102-4 Chikritzhs, T. (2009). Tools for Policy and Prevention: The Australian National Alcohol Indicators Project. Contemporary Drug Problems , 36 (3–4), 607–624. https://doi.org/10.1177/009145090903600315 Chung, O. S., Johnson, A. M., Dowling, N. L., Robinson, T., Ng, C. H., Yücel, M., & Segrave, R. A. (2022). Are Australian Mental Health Services Ready for Therapeutic Virtual Reality? An Investigation of Knowledge, Attitudes, Implementation Barriers and Enablers. Frontiers in Psychiatry , 13 . https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2022.792663 8

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Mitchell, R. J., Cameron, C. M., McClure, R. J., & Williamson, A. M. (2015). Data linkage capabilities in Australia: Practical issues identified by a Population Health Research Network ‘Proof of Concept project.’ Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health , 39 (4), 319–325. https://doi.org/10.1111/1753-6405.12310 Moreno, C., Wykes, T., Galderisi, S., Nordentoft, M., Crossley, N., Jones, N., Cannon, M., Correll, C. U., Byrne, L., Carr, S., Chen, E. Y. H., Gorwood, P., Johnson, S., Kärkkäinen, H., Krystal, J. H., Lee, J., Lieberman, J., López-Jaramillo, C., Männikkö, M., … Arango, C. (2020). How mental health care should change as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Lancet Psychiatry , 7 (9), 813–824. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2215- 0366(20)30307-2 Parker, T. (2017). The DataLab of the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Australian Economic Review , 50 (4), 478–483. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8462.12246 Schofield, M. J. (2008). Australian counsellors and psychotherapists: A profile of the profession. Counselling and Psychotherapy Research , 8 (1), 4–11. https://doi.org/10.1080/14733140801936369 Simpson, J. M., Oldenburg, B., Owen, N., Harris, D., Dobbins, T., Salmon, A., Vita, P., Wilson, J., & Saunders, J. B. (2000). The Australian National Workplace Health Project: Design and Baseline Findings. Preventive Medicine , 31 (3), 249–260. https://doi.org/10.1006/pmed.2000.0707 Tailby, C., Collins, A. J., Vaughan, D. N., Abbott, D. F., O’Shea, M., Helmstaedter, C., & Jackson, G. D. (2020). Teleneuropsychology in the time of COVID-19: The experience of The Australian Epilepsy Project. Seizure , 83 , 89–97. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.seizure.2020.10.005 10

Tam, S.-M., & Clarke, F. (2015). Big Data, Official Statistics and Some Initiatives by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. International Statistical Review , 83 (3), 436–448. https://doi.org/10.1111/insr.12105 Tiller, J., McInerney-Leo, A., Belcher, A., Boughtwood, T., Gleeson, P., Delatycki, M., Barlow- Stewart, K., Winship, I., Otlowski, M., Keogh, L., & Lacaze, P. (2021). Study protocol: The Australian genetics and life insurance moratorium—monitoring the effectiveness and response (A-GLIMMER) project. BMC Medical Ethics , 22 (1), 63. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12910-021-00634-2 Van Rheenen, T. E., Meyer, D., Neill, E., Phillipou, A., Tan, E. J., Toh, W. L., & Rossell, S. L. (2020). Mental health status of individuals with a mood-disorder during the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia: Initial results from the COLLATE project. Journal of Affective Disorders , 275 , 69–77. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2020.06.037 11

Bachelor of Applied Social Science

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