Relationship Between Mental Health Strategies, Policies, And Legislations

E-Mental Health Strategy for Australia

Discuss about the Mediating Role of Emotional Intelligence.

There are different ways of delivering mental health care. Government of Australia has different mental health framework, policy, legislation and strategies for improving the over-all quality of care in mental health (Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing, 2012). The following essay aims to analyse the how mental health strategies, policies and legislations are related with each other and how they improving consumer’s experiences and the role of the mental health professionals. The essay also aims to highlight the three of the relevant models that can be used to deliver comprehensive mental health care. At the end, the essay aims to ascertain the links between the therapeutic uses of emotional intelligence with the mental health practise.

There are different strategies of delivering mental health services. One strategy that has been adapted by the Australian government is the E-Mental Health Strategy for Australia. Through this strategy, the government of Australia is transforming their mental health service from funding a small number of successful and proven online mental health and crisis support system to a respected yet evidence based integrated e-mental health service environment. E-mental health service is successful in changing the customer’s experience because it is easily accessible enabling people to access irrespective of time and location. The E-Mental Health Strategy for Australia evolved as a helpful strategy to the people in areas with limited services; have communication problems and are reluctant to participate in face-to-face service. The main underpinning concepts behind the E-Mental Health Strategy are Telemidicine or Telephone counselling, Self Help and Web-based Support Programme.

The reason behind this is, the government of Australia recognised that adequate access to proper services and proper opportunity to engage in professional, telephonic and online support is important in order to assist the people with mental health complications. Moreover, apart from helping the service users in managing their mental health complication, the e-mental health strategy also plays a notable role in assistance the service users in the financial grounds like guidance in investment. Not only the service users but the service givers are also getting benefitted under the framework of the E-Mental Health Strategy Australia (Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing, 2012). According to Lal and Adair (2014) the nursing professionals who are providing mental health assistance via the E-Mental Health Strategy have reported the ease of access. Lal and Adair (2014) are of the opinion that the through E-Mental Health the nurses are able to access the patient information in an structured manner and thereby helping to improve the quality of care.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Mental Health Strategy

The Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing framed this strategy, (2013) in order to reduce the rate of suicides among the indigenous population or Australia. This strategy mostly targets that aboriginals and the Torres Strait Islander residing in Australia. This strategy helps to improve their main target customer’s experience via helping them to over-come the health risk factors. The strategy mainly aims to reduce the health-inequality from the grass-root level. This is the reason that the main action area is directed towards the children and the young adults. Under this strategy, the children / young adults and their families are assisted in building skills and awareness. This awareness helped them to overcome the health related myths while influencing them to active use mental health care services. The service users are also benefited via the life promotion and the resilience-building strategies. Furthermore, the culturally appropriate community activities are also developed under this strategy, which helped in the development of cultural strengths, life and leadership skills.

The strategy also aims to provide long-term sustainable prevention strategies and thereby generating resilience in emotional and social well-being among the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families and children (Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing, 2013). The community participation and increase in the level of awareness are two core pillars of the improvement of the overall customer service under this strategy. Poortinga (2012) is of the opinion that the growing up in deprived conditions limits access to education and employment opportunities. It also leads to a decrease in self-esteem and increase in mental stress. All these cumulate into an increased tendency of suicidal attempts and homicides among the aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders residing in Australia. The study conducted by Poortinga (2012) highlighted that increase in social participation along with awareness and proper education help to work on the mental stress and self-esteem of the aboriginals residing in Australia thereby helping to reduce the rate of suicide.

The ACMHN standards have 9 sub-divisions. Standard 1 promotes acknowledgement of the cultural diversity, values and beliefs of the patients by the nursing professionals. This standard helps to change the professional role of the nurses via asking them to execute their professional work under sheer dignity and self-determination. Standard 2 emphasize over the collaborative partnership the helps to support people with mental health complications. The collaborative partnership promotes the concept of the multidisciplinary care, which not only help to achieve quality mental health outcome, but also helps in the refinement of the nursing practice (Goncalves et al., 2013). Standard 3 vouches towards the development of the therapeutic relationship with the service users and thereby helping them to participate in the decision making program of the mental health care. This standard not only helps in the modification of the role of the mental health professionals but also lead to the increase in the level of satisfaction among the service users (Sucala et al., 2012). This is because, such approach helps to increase a sense of resilience and thereby promoting recovery.

ACMHN Standards

Standard 4 and 5 promotes instructs the mental health professionals to respect the spiritual, emotional and cultural beliefs of the service users under the framework of the evidence based practice. The concept of evidence based practice helps the mental health professionals to develop their care plan based on the latest improvement in the mental health research and thereby assisting to achieve comprehensive outcomes (Kirmayer, 2012). Kirmayer (2012) is of the opinion that the cultural competence and evidence-based practice aim towards the improvement of the effectiveness of the mental health status among the diverse group of population. Standard 6 and 7 promotes reduction in the stigmatization among the mental health service users while promoting proper education and awareness. These two standards act in the favor of the service users as it promotes their education and awareness in the domain of mental health. Standard 8 and standard 9 mainly uplifts the professional roles of the mental health nurses. It modifies their practice of procuring care via integrating all important skills, knowledge and common laws in mental health nursing. According to Cleary et al. (2012), proper nursing skills and nursing education among the mental health nurses help the nursing professionals in maintaining healthy nurse-patient relationship. This healthy nurse-patient relationship helps in the improvement of the overall health outcomes.

The common link between the strategies and the legislations that framed for the promotion of the mental health nursing is all the approaches promote resilience and education among the service users of the mental health. According to Jorm (2012) education about the mental health, threats help in the generation of awareness among the mental health service users. Jorm (2012) have further opined that the mental health literacy lead to the empowerment of the community such that they are more equipped in taking better actions to fight against the mental health complications.

The medical or biomedical model refers to the set of procedures that trains all doctors. This model makes utilisation of history, complaints, physical assessment, and ancillary tests. It is integral to psychological illness and considers all psychological diseases as direct manifestations of the diseases of the brain. The biomedical model of mental illness takes into assumption the fact that abnormal psychological experiences or states are results of abnormalities in genetics or the brain and, necessitate chemical or medical treatments, which specifically target these abnormalities. The role of this model in mental health practice can be attributed to the fact it is governed by the underlying belief that mental illnesses have some inherent cause that can be eliminated or treated, thereby curing the patient (Kazdin and Rabbitt 2013). The biomedical model offers thorough explanation of mental illness, thereby providing reassurance to the sufferers and facilitating them to achieve the first stage towards recovery. Psychotic disorders most commonly involve hallucinations and delusions that contributes to abnormal thinking and perceptions. This model relieves such symptoms, thereby enhancing mental health practice. However, since the model considers the cause of mental illness within the individual, the focus of the treatment is on body symptoms (Storm and Edwards 2013). Moreover, this model might actually increase mental stigma and social distancing, thereby creating significant barriers in the recovery process (Corrigan, Druss and Perlick 2014).

This is based on a holistic, person-centered approach, to mental health care. The recovery model has rapidly gained momentum, since the past decade, owing to the basic premises on which it is based. The model suggests that it quite possible for a person suffering from psychotic disorders, to recover from the prevailing mental health condition. Furthermore, the most effective recovery process is focused on a patient-directed approach in this model. The hallmark principle of this model lies in the belief that individuals have the capacity of recovering from mental disorders to lead a purposeful, and satisfying life (Bao, Casalino & Pincus, 2013). The guiding principles encompasses by this model that facilitates mental health practice are based on empowerment, peer support, holistic approach, hope, respect and responsibility. Thus, it can be stated that putting the recovery model into action refers to focusing care on promoting patient recovery and building their resilience, and is not just restricted to management of symptoms (Storm & Edwards, 2013). Hence, the major attributes of this model that enhances patient outcomes are associated with its aim to assist mentally ill people, to look beyond their survival and existence. It encourages them to set new goals, move forward and foster their interests and dreams.

This philosophical approach towards mental health puts an emphasis on providing help to people to recover their voice, with the use of metaphors, language, and personal stories. The tidal model focuses on reclaiming the meaning of the personal experiences of the patients or sufferers. This is the first mental health recovery model that was developed by mental health nurses, in addition to individuals who have used mental health services (Storm & Edwards, 2013). This model focused on beginning the journey of recovery at a time when the affected individual is at the lowest ebb. The fact that this model has been successful in developing a theory of personhood and is based on the process of storytelling that elaborated on the process of self and world domain, followed by an enacting of the living. This greatly benefited the process of mental health practice by helping people deal with their problems, associated with human living (Kidd, McKenzie & Virdee, 2014). Other benefits of this model that results in an enhancement of patient outcomes are related to its role in using specific human values to guide the practice of mental health recovery.

Emotional intelligence (EI) refers to the capability of individuals to identify their emotions, and discern between different feelings, followed by their appropriate labelling that guides behaviour and thinking. Research evidences have established strong correlation between EI and improved mental health (Wang & Kong, 2014). Thus, self-awareness helps the mental health practitioners to take responsibility of pre-reflective contributions to the patient’s feelings, and transferring them in a therapeutic appropriate manner. The dimensions of emotional intelligence have also been linked to mental and physical health related behaviours (Fernández-Abascal & Martín-Díaz, 2015). These play an important role in predicting lower percentages of mental health related behaviours, in comparison to other health components. In addition, emotional intelligence have also been found integral in moderating the relationship between job performances of mental health workers (Lindebaum, 2013). EI has also been found imperative in mediating mindfulness on mental distress and life satisfaction.

Davis and Humphrey (2012) postulated that emotional intelligence (EI) confers the adaptive advantages over the psychological health. According to Davis and Humphrey (2012) utilization of the “intelligence” of skills related to emotions, promote efficient regulation of affect along with positive perceptions of competency to handle situations, which are emotionally laden. EI mainly buffer stress and thereby promoting positive ways of coping and this in turn lead towards the successful adaptation. Another study conducted by Ruiz-Aranda et al. (2012) highlighted that EI programs help in the development of skills in the grounds of perseverance, understanding and proper management of emotions.  All these skills help in the health care professionals in effective development of the framework towards optimal procurement of the mental health service to the service users. Hassan and Shabani (2013) is of the opinion that framing the mental health service delivery frame-work under the principles of the emotional intelligence helps the mental health service givers to relate with the spiritual intelligence of the service users. This help in the assessment of the proper therapeutic relationship between the mental health policy, the service users and the service givers and thereby helping to achieve optimal health outcomes.

The process of recovery often refers to the outlook, vision, process, conceptual framework and a guiding principle. The recovery process from a range of mental illness encompasses on the delivery of healthcare services that focuses on gaining a holistic view of the prevailing mental illness, which focuses on the affected person, and not just the symptoms. Thus, the models and frameworks implemented in this context believes that recovery is possible from severe mental illness. There exists a fundamental rift between the medical model and the recovery model, regarding the treatment of mental illness (Storm & Edwards, 2013). The Recovery Model is found to work for people, who have recuperated with the use of their medications. Researchers have argued that both the models have multiple similarities in their goals and objectives of reducing the presenting complaints of mental illness. However, application of the medical model to the recovery approach has shown significant potential in influencing psychiatric practice. The medical model encompasses a process whereby the mental health practitioners coordinate, advise on, and deliver health-improving interventions, as and when informed by best available evidences (Bao, Casalino & Pincus, 2013). This necessarily creates the idea that medical interventions are in the constant process of evolution, with an increase in refinement of treatments as new evidence. This in turn bring about a shift in paradigms to innovate new mental health treatments. Further differences can be illustrated by the fact that the medical model defines recovery in negative terms such as, complaints and symptoms that should be eliminated, and disorders that can be removed.

To conclude, talking about recovery is often considered as an inappropriate practice for severe mental illness. This can be related to the fact that mental illness conditions are likely to persist, in some forms for an indefinite period of time. Thus, recovery from mental illness with the implementation of specific strategies and models not only includes the process of lowering presenting complaints, but also involves achieving a satisfying life. To conclude, it can be stated that the journey towards recovery is not an easy procedure and requires time.

References

Australian College of Mental Health Nurses. (2017). Mental Health Practice Standards. Access date: 24^th May. Retrieved from: https://www.acmhn.org/publications/standards-of-practice

Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing (2012). E?Mental Health Strategy for  Australia.  Access date: 24^th May. Retrieved from: https://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/7C7B0BFEB985D0EBCA257BF0001BB0A6/$File/emstrat.pdf

Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing (2012). National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Suicide Prevention strategy.  Access date: 24^th May. Retrieved from: https://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/content/1CE7187EC4965005CA25802800127B49/$File/Indigenous%20Strategy.pdf

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