Mental Health and the Australian community: Any lesson for Nigeria
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Introduction
There would have been no complete and functional human system without the human mind at its best condition. In fact, humans would not have been able to carry out their daily tasks and activities without the support of their minds. Hence, the rightful or wrongful performance of human beings in society is dependent on whether or not they are in their proper state of mind and this explains why it is illogical to draw hasty conclusions or judgments on peoples’ personality, rather than the reason(s) behind their behaviour in the course of an occurrence. Moreover, the concept of mental health is one that is not only all-encompassing, but also primordial in today’s society as it entails man’s emotional, psychological, social, and to an extent, physiological wellness (Everymind, 2022). Mental health deals with everything that affects man’s thought process, feeling patterns, as well as action and reaction to events and issues in his environment. It determines how well or not humans take control of stress and emotions, make decisions, and interrelate with others in society.
Interestingly, issues bordering on human mental health and its implications in society have gained currency overtime but have in the 21st century, turned out to become an essential topic of focus for intensive research by medical experts, scientists, health scholars and even free-thinkers. This is because poor mental health has become contemporaneous with the time in question. Hence, the need to keep abreast and stay updated with current trends and medically credible findings on how well to tackle the impact of mental health-related issues in the Australian community.
Based on the established background, this article designs as its case study, ‘mental health and community’ with the Australian and Nigerian community as its geographical scope. It will present an overview of mental health and community, stating why it is important as well as what it intends to accomplish. It will also discuss the role of government and Non-government agencies in addressing mental health in Australia; the value of engaging community in mental health initiatives such as mental health week; the role and impact of the media and social media in mental health promotion and the need for Nigeria to take issues bordering on mental healthcare serious.
An Overview of Mental Health and Community: Essence and Objectives.
The prevalence of mental health issues in today’s contemporary world have given humans reasons to launch series of scientific investigations as to discovering how things got to this point and why they have become what they are. According to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (2021), mental illnesses have become so alarming and have in tremendous ways affected the health and wellbeing of various communities across the globe. This is evident as one in five Americans experiences a mental illness or disorder in a given year; more than about fifty percent will be diagnosed with a mental illness at some point in their lifetime; one in five children, either presently or at some point during their life, have suffered severe mental illness; and one in twenty-five Americans live with a severe mental illness like depression, bipolar disorder and many others.
In Australia, Better Health Channel (2022) revealed that one in five Australian adults suffer a mental illness every year; about fourty-five percent of Australian will suffer mental illness or disorder at some time in their life; and anxiety, mood swings, depression and substance use disorders remains the commonest mental illnesses experienced by Australian adults. Based on the abovementioned, it is quite obvious that as a result of the prevalence, critical nature, and health implications of mental illnesses among people in society, both the governments and Non-governmental organisations have through various strategies sought for sustainable means by which the menace can be tackled. But before this assignment paper will delve into that area, there is need to understand the nexus between mental health and community as well as what community mental entails.
It is important to note that mental illnesses affect majority of the people who reside in various communities. Based on this, one could easily conclude that mental illnesses are a public or community disease which in order to be tackled and solved, would need serious community attention comprising the adoption and assembling of health practitioners as well as professional tactics by the community. Thus, there is an alignment between mental health and community as each of them cannot thrive independently. Depression affects people and its consequences affect the behaviour and reactions of other people living in the community. Expressing further on the place of the community in regard mental health, the University of Dakota (2022) noted that the quest for mental health services across various communities in the globe, spurred the need for the establishment of community mental health centres as well as the demand for community health workers – those who would be in charge of the treatment of mentally ill patients.
Community mental health in Australia began since 1788 with the arrival of the first fleet of humans tagged ‘convicts’. Upon their arrival, those who were observed to be mentally ill were isolated but joined together with convicts and alleged criminals not until the year 1811, when Australia had its first psychiatric structure and they were managed separately. Having carried out investigations on hearsays of abuse of rights and injustices meted out on mentally ill patients, the Richmond report was released in 1983 and even though this brought about controversies, it laid foundation for the introduction of the first National Mental Health Plan in 1992 as well as other subsequent ones including the fifth National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Plan which seeks to alleviate the causal factors responsible for mental illnesses like depression which could lure mental patients into suicide. However, the establishment of a credible mental health structure-one that will enhance the prevention and care for mentally ill victims has overtime remained a serious limitation to the health system in Australia.
The Australian community provides many crucial elements that are essential to victims of mental ill health. One of these is that it gives one an identity. At that point where it seems the entire society had isolated itself from mentally ill patients due to their condition, one’s community becomes the last resort. It rekindles the hope of the patients through peoples’ various support and gives them a sense of belonging.
Community mental health such as the Community Mental Health Australia (CMHA)- a coalition of community mental health organisations from Australian states set out as its objectives, to promote the importance and need for community mental health services such as advocacy, counseling, socio-economic inclusion, empowerment and overall health and wellbeing of Australians who suffer mental health conditions (Community Mental Health Australia, 2022).
The Role of Governmental and Non-Governmental Agencies in Addressing Mental Health In Australia
Since the execution of the fifth National Health and Suicide Prevention Plan, the Australian coalition government has prioritised mental health and suicide prevention. This is evident as in August 2016, the government worked with the National Mental Health Commission (NMHC) to analyse issues bordering on suicide in relation to hoe it had affected officers of the Australian Defence Force and their families and also produce a review on Suicide and Self Harm Prevention Services. In reaction to the outcome of the review, the government has been committed to ensuring that serving and non-serving officers of the Defence Force have access to mental health support. Again, the government, with the Commission’s review, formed its 2017/2018 budget that added $58.6 million funding for mental health initiatives. Also, $35.5 million was made available for extension non-liability health care services (Commonwealth of Australia, 2017; p. 5).The government also provided $9.8 million to engender innovation strategies to curb suicide acts. In the same vein, it was reported that the government would invest in mental health research, m-Health access to care most especially in remote regions of Australia, and assistance to curb the incessant increase in suicidal acts in identified locations (Commonwealth of Australia, 2017, p. 5).
Inasmuch as it seems that the Australian government is the primary caregiver regarding the prevention of mental health disorder, it should be noted that it has not been able to address the issues satisfactorily as there are still gaps in proper mental health service delivery in the country. Howbeit, with the commitment and passion which accompany the activities of NGOs in delivering quality care to patients who suffer mental health disorder, the gap in community mental health services in Australia has gradually been narrowed. These NGOs engage in the treatment and rehabilitation, creation of awareness and empowerment, and research and training for people who suffer mental illnesses in Australia (Thara and Patel, 2010).
The Value of Engaging Community in Mental Health Initiatives
It had been noted in this paper that one of the reasons why the Australian government has not been able to totally alleviate the challenges of mental illness is because it does not have an adequate mechanism to define its national health objectives. However, if the status quo must change for the better, then the government would begin to look inwards by engaging the experienced locals in community health initiatives and services in the country. Explaining further, Warwick-Booth et al. 2013, pp. 113-129) mentioned that tapping into local circles and networks as a starting point to advance and improve health is a means to make an impact among the people, friends and family. The idea that Booth and his colleagues presented is one that is people-oriented and will encourage them to solve their health challenges by themselves with their preferred strategies and tactics. Australian citizens, especially those that reside in rural and regional areas of the country should be encouraged to volunteer in community mental health services as a way of giving back to their community and also building it by ensuring that mental health disorders are prevented and well-treated.
Arrangements for such a volunteering work can take the form of advocacy by the volunteers during a proposed Mental Healthy Week. This will afford the volunteers the opportunity to teach and educate the people about the concept of mental health, the need to take care of one’s mental health by avoiding stress-related issues and the intake of highly intoxicating alcoholic and drug substances as well as effect(s) of mental health illnesses like depression and others.
The Role and Impact of the media and Social Media in Mental Health Promotion
Undoubtedly, the media (both traditional and modern) has contributed to the challenges of mental health in society. This is evident mostly in the way and manner in which contents on mental or psychological disorder are presented and discussed. While some of these cases are being exaggerated, others are presented in an unbiased form. And this sends the wrong message concerning the aforementioned to the public. On the other hand, through the traditional media sources like Television and Radio, the new media sources like the internet, and the social media sources like twitter, facebook, among others, a plethora of mental health tips, health talks, and health programmes have been hosted and through these means, the masses are properly informed on the essence of being in good mental shape and the solutions on how to tackle mental health-related ailments.
Part of these solutions provided through these mediums is the contacts of medical practitioners to consult as well as their locations. The internet has even made mobile Health easier. It provides one with the knowledge of certain mental health diseases like depression and also helps to establish digital communication and relationship with professional health practitioners across the globe. Indeed, the impact of the media in promoting mental wellbeing in society is enormous as it educates and admonishes the people on the maintenance of positive mental health.
Mental Health and the Nigerian society
It is unfortunate to mention that issues bordering on mental health and illnesses are not given full and adequate attention in Nigeria. More worrisome is the fact that there is not even one national programme or policy that seeks to address the issue of mental illness in the country. And this explains why there are a lot of mentally deranged Nigerians walking around the streets unattended to. The situation has become so disturbing that according to the Federal Government, three in every ten Nigerians suffer one form of mental disorder or the other (Onyeji, 2018). Furthermore, Premium Times reported that in the country an estimated 20-30 per cent of the populations are believed to be suffering from one form of mental illness or the other (Onyeji, 2018). Based on this statistics, it means that a reasonable population of Nigerians is mentally unsafe and little or nothing is being done to salvage this horrific situation.
In Nigeria, the attention given to mental health disorders is very poor. The government shows lack of interest in it as the legislature has remained adamant in enacting laws and policies on the safety and security of mentally ill people. According to the 2017 World Health Day Data, the World Health Organisation presented a record that about seven million Nigerians suffer from one of the most ignored form of, mental illness in the country and that is depression which I often caused as a result of biochemical imbalances in the human system, stress, natural occurrence and more. However, to an average Nigerian, depression is a common phenomenon that can be cured by taking medicine and inasmuch as this is so dangerous and unhealthy to human life, there is nothing to be done about it.
Solution to mental illness in Nigeria
There is need for the Federal and State governments to be involved in ensuring that issues bordering on the mental wellness of Nigerians are adequately addressed. This should begin with the enactment of a “Mental Health Act and policies” across the thirty-six states of the federation. With this, the procedures for implementing a “National Mental Health Action Committee” for managing the actions of various stakeholders on mental health in Nigeria should be set in place. More importantly, the Federal Ministry of Healthy should be adequately equipped to carry out researches among other essential findings on how to tackle issues of mental health in the country.
On the other hand, there is need for the creation of public awareness and sensitization of the people on the benefits of quality mental health as well as the dangers of mental disorder. In this regard, various forms of the media – print, electronic and social media would be utilised in a bid to ensuring that mental health is promoted across all the nook and crannies of the country.
When the people are properly sensitised on the ills of mental disorder, it would be easy to engage them in volunteering activities most of which would be geared towards the promotion of mental health as well as the rendering of medical assistance to mentally ill patients in the community. One of the challenges of social growth and development in Nigeria is that no attention is given to social work and community development. However, what suffice as community development in the country is directly related to the work of Non-governmental organisations most of whose function are not primarily focused on the basic need of the people. Thus, it is against this backdrop that it becomes necessary for the Nigerian government to incorporate social works as a professional course of study in the university curriculum. This will help breed a number of social work professionals who would help salvage community-related mental, social and economic challenges in the country.
Conclusion
This article examined the nexus between mental health and the community. It addressed the importance of community mental health; the role of the Australian government and NGOs in tackling mental health and the role and the role and impact of both traditional and new media in the promotion of mental health. In addition, the article also analysed mental health challenges in the Nigerian society as well as solutions to be employed in salvaging them.
References
Better Health Channel (2022). Mental Illness Statistics (online). Available at: https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au (Accessed 24 March 2022).
Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (2022). What is Mental Health? (online). Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/mentalhealth (Accessed 24 March 2022)
Community Mental Health Australia (2022). What We Do (online). Available at: https://chma.org.au (Accessed 24 March 2022).
Commonwealth of Australia (2017). Australian Government Response to the National Mental Health Commission Review into the Suicide and Self Harm Prevention Services Available to Current and Serving ADF Members and Their Families (online). Available at: https://www.govtresponsePDF (Accessed 24 March 2022)
Everymind (2022). Understanding Mental Health, Mental Ill-health and Suicide. https://everymind.org.au/understanding-mental-health
Onyeji, E. (2018 November 15). Three in Ten Nigerians suffer from mental disorders – Official.https://www.premiumtimesng.com/health/health-news/295794-three-in-ten-nigerians-sufer-from-mental-disorders-official.html.
Thara, R. and Ptel, V. (2010). Role of non-governemntal organisations in Mental Health in India. Indian Journal of Psychiatry (online). Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/prr (Accessed 24 March 2022).
University of North Dakota (2022). What is Community Mental Health? (online). Available at: https://onlinedegrees.und.edu (Accessed 24 March 2022).
Warwick-Booth, et al., (2013). Health Champions and their circles of influence as a communication mechanism for health promotion. International Review of Social Research 3(2).
