Mental Health Crisis In Australia

Health risk increased with unemployment. There is evident that the health risk is higher in areas where unemployment is common. Stable and secure work improves to individual’s job satisfaction, well-being and health. Deteriorate illness and premature death caused by higher unemployment (Wilkinson & Marmot 2003). A number of research form many foreign countries shows individuals and their families face comparatively high risk of premature death (Wilkinson & Marmot 2003). Australia indigenous peoples accounted for 2.4% of the Australian population, the impact of factors such as unemployment, imprisonment, low-income, eligible housing, lead them to life expectancy 9-12 years less than other Australian population(Cunningham & Paradies 2013).

Mental illness disorders and suicide as surveys and statistics would show, affects Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people at a higher rate than the rest of the Australian population (Elder, Evans, Nizette, 2013). Thirty percent of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population aged 18 years and over experienced some sort psychological distress at a greater than normal level during the year 2012 to 2013 (ABS, 2015). Compared to other Australians, the Indigenous people aged 18 years and over were three times more prone to experiencing psychological distress than the rest of the Australian population (ABS, 2015). Mental health services treat more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders in contrast with the Non-Aboriginal population, around

The experience of racism will bring negative stress and emotion, and may have the risk to develop a range of psychological and physiological problems (Sherwood, 2013). Ferdinand (2013) reports the racism problems among Aboriginal Australian by using a survey. The outcome highlights that almost every Aboriginal who participated in this survey had experienced racism during daily activity, and they or their family members have all experienced a different level of stress when coping with racism. In spite of the anti-racist practice has improved the relationship between Indigenous people and non-Indigenous people, but the ongoing forms of discrimination are still continuing and impacts on Indigenous mental health. Furthermore, Indigenous Australian has a higher prevalence of smoking, alcohol and drug intake. The psychological stress they experience may consequently lead to harmful alcohol and drug use, which also causes the mental health problem among Indigenous Australians. Bearing in mind the previous points, all those risk factors and issues for Aboriginal mental health have contributed the high rate of mental illness and also leads to suicide or self-harm behaviours among Aboriginal

The causes of these mental illnesses can be attributed heavily to discrimination on almost all fronts. The impact of institutional discrimination, that is discrimination that is passed through laws or amendments in a state or federal level, has been shown. It had been shown that the prevalence of mental illness is higher in states that do not provide protection from discrimination such as in the work place and in marriage (the bans of the time of

Depression is “a psychoneurotic or psychotic disorder marked especially by sadness, inactivity, difficulty in thinking and concentration, a significant increase or decrease in appetite and time spent sleeping, feelings of dejection and hopelessness, and sometimes suicidal tendancies”. (Merriam-Webster, unknown). It is important to understand the effects of depression amongst young people, as it is a large problem in Australia. Depression effects on in sixteen Australians aged 16-24 (BeyondBlue, unknown), and the largest killer of the Australian youth is suicide (BeyondBlue, unknown). Depression can be broken down into smaller sections, and they are; the way it effects young people, the prevalence of depression, the consequences it brings upon

Racism in Australia has always been a controversial element of our country and still continues on in today’s society. Our nation is a bigot country, and the history of Australia shows it continuously has been. Racism majorly impacts the health of Indigenous Australians. The impacts reflect on the life expectancy and mental health of the Indigenous Australians who are then racially criticised in our health system. This paper will explore the impacts that racism in Australia has on Indigenous Australians within healthcare, the life expectancy and the mental health.

emphasis was on relationships to family, group and country rather than the development of an

The ongoing effects of racist and unjust political policy and action can in part explain current aspects of dysfunction and overall disadvantage that occurs in many Indigenous

Australians. An example where institutional racism may play a factor in clinical practice is a lack of culturally appropriate materials or treatment options for Indigenous patients (Shah, A. 2007) Interpersonal racism is the discriminatory interactions between individuals. This includes degrading comments or behaviours by a health care worker or discriminatory behaviours of other individuals in the community (Larson, A., Gillies, M., Howard, P. J., Coddin, J. 2007) Researchers have found compelling evidence connecting the impacts of Indigenous discrimination to the root cause of extreme socio-economic and health disadvantages (Larson, A., Gillies, M., Howard, P. J., Coddin, J. 2007). A study of the Indigenous population by ‘Flinders University’ reported that 97% of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islanders taking part in the research, regularly experienced racism. These staggering results highlight that this is still an ongoing contemporary issue that continues to be the root of many physical and mental health issues commonly experienced by the community (Creative Spirits, 2017)

Improvement of health and well-being of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Australia remains a big challenge for the Australian Government. There is a wide gap between the health status of indigenous and non-indigenous Australians and it is even seen as a human rights issue by the United Nations Committee (Calma and Dick 2007). The social determinants theory argues that health and well-being is governed by a number of social factors. Situations in which people grow, live and work are responsible for inequities in health. Studies suggest that between one-third and one-half of the health gap between indigenous and non-indigenous communities is because of differences and inequalities in socio-economic status such as education, employment

With the data presented in this paper, it is clearly demonstrating that the Indigenous Australian continue to experience major disadvantage on health and social-emotional well being outcomes than other Non-Indigenous Australian. The cultural factor and the effects of unfairly social determinants of health are clearly contribute in poor physical and psychological health experienced by numerous Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. It is important for both health organisation and individual health professional delivery a culture safety care, help Indigenous people to improve the capacity of the mental health workforce, and working together with them to closing the gap between Indigenous and other Australian population.

“A new report suggests aboriginal Canadians frequently face racism and stereotyping when using health care services in urban centers, a situation which can breed a degree of mistrust deep enough for some to avoid seeking professional help when sick.” (Mehta, Tuesday, December 11)

A mental illness is an issue that affects one’s behaviour, emotions, thoughts and ability to interact with others (Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing 2007). Common mental illnesses in Australia include anxiety, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression, eating disorders and personality disorders, with the most prevalent being anxiety disorders and depression. Anyone can develop a mental illness, although suffering from a chronic medical illness, experiencing a highly stressful or traumatic event, having a blood relation with a mental disorder or drug and alcohol use can increase one’s risk (Mayo Clinic 2015).

Have a reduced quality of life. In 2003-04, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders were twice as likely to suffer from mental and behavioural disorders as other Australians. Hospitalisation rates for assault or intentional self-harm may also be indicative of mental illness and distress. In 2003-04 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander males were 7 times more likely, and females 31 times as likely as for

This report will look at the effects of racism and the mental health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the Australian healthcare system.