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Essay on mental health of indigenous australians
Aboriginal and mental health essay
Aboriginal and mental health essay
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Scholarly Writing Piece: Annotated Bibliography Cultural Considerations in Mental Health 1. Mental Health Conditions of Indigenous Australians Jorm, A. F., Bourchier, S. J., Cvetkovski, S., & Stewart, G. (2012). Mental health of Indigenous Australians: a review of findings from community surveys. Med J Aust, 196(2), 118-121. Introduction: The article covers the information known regarding the mental health status of different people within Australia. Aim: The study aimed to describe different aspects, which comprised the assembly of the known information on the mental of Indigenous Australians from communal surveys. Scope: It explores different emergent guidelines and principles to govern and improve evaluation practices within different cultures. Main Argument: The study has established that the Indigenous Australians have a higher burden of injuries and diseases compared to the mainstream Australian population. This has been associated with increased prevalence of non-communicable diseases, like mental disorders. Relationship with topic: Mental health and cultural issues are directly related. Mental issues affect people from different cultures in different ways. Intended audience: The research is intended for families and other community members in of the indigenous Australians. Research methods: The study used a systematic search using the means highlighted by the Preferred Reporting Unit for Systematic Meta-Analyses and Reviews. Several methods of collection of data and analysis have been used in consulting public records on the issue. Strength: The study was successful in establishing the causes of differences in data on health conditions of indigenous Australians. It has revealed a strong set of congruent attitude... ... middle of paper ... ...lifetime mental health problems and trauma type. Strength: The study has provided awide-ranging picture of the impairment levels in main social and health functioning domains that are related with GBV amongst women. Weakness: The cross-sectional study design impedes the drawing of inferences on the possible fundamental relationships involving mental health and GBV. Conclusion: There is a great need to equip psychiatric services in order to assist women experiencing mental health disorders because of GBV. Contribution of text to understanding of the topic: The study implies that the causes of mental health issues affecting adults are different in men and women. The violence meted on women is different amongst women due to education and cultural reasons. The problem of severe mental illness can be improved through education to change the attitudes towards women.
Indigenous communities suffer the worst health in Australia and are most at risk to many illness’s compared to other Australian’s. “The poor health experienced by Indigenous people reflects the disadvantage they experience, as many Indigenous communities do not have access to quality health care and to clean water.” (Reconciliaction Network, p.1) The specific health concerns for Indigenous Australian’s are the higher rate of diabetes, higher mortality rate with cancers, cardiovascular disease is more common, eye conditions, higher risk of smoking which contributes to other health impacts, ear disease w...
Secondly, the customary health beliefs of the aboriginal populace are interrelated with numerous characteristics of their customs such as kinship obligations, land policies, and religion (Boulton-Lewis, Pillay, Wilss, & Lewis, 2002). The socio-medical structure of health beliefs, which the aboriginal people...
Definition: Mental health has become a pressing issue in Indigenous communities. Often, a combination of trauma, a lack of accessible health resources, substance abuse, violence, and socioeconomic situations lead to high rates of depression, anxiety, and suicidality in Indigenous Peoples. This crisis is especially apparent in Indigenous youth, where there is a growing suicide epidemic but little mental health support and resources are provided. The increase in stigmatized and untreated mental illness has continued as trauma and systemic injustices remain unaddressed. Indigenous groups, governmental parties, and health organizations are involved.
There are significant health disparities that exist between Indigenous and Non-Indigenous Australians. Being an Indigenous Australian means the person is and identifies as an Indigenous Australian, acknowledges their Indigenous heritage and is accepted as such in the community they live in (Daly, Speedy, & Jackson, 2010). Compared with Non-Indigenous Australians, Aboriginal people die at much younger ages, have more disability and experience a reduced quality of life because of ill health. This difference in health status is why Indigenous Australians health is often described as “Third World health in a First World nation” (Carson, Dunbar, Chenhall, & Bailie, 2007, p.xxi). Aboriginal health care in the present and future should encompass a holistic approach which includes social, emotional, spiritual and cultural wellbeing in order to be culturally suitable to improve Indigenous Health. There are three dimensions of health- physical, social and mental- that all interrelate to determine an individual’s overall health. If one of these dimensions is compromised, it affects how the other two dimensions function, and overall affects an individual’s health status. The social determinants of health are conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work and age which includes education, economics, social gradient, stress, early life, social inclusion, employment, transport, food, and social supports (Gruis, 2014). The social determinants that are specifically negatively impacting on Indigenous Australians health include poverty, social class, racism, education, employment, country/land and housing (Isaacs, 2014). If these social determinants inequalities are remedied, Indigenous Australians will have the same opportunities as Non-Ind...
Topic 3: "Outline the social determinants of health in Australia and provide a critical analysis of these determinants. Discuss the current health status comparisons between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians and interventions to remedy these inequalities.”
... To provide Indigenous people with adequate health care, emphasis needs to be placed on understanding indigenous beliefs and the social detriments Indigenous communities are faced with. Applying a suitable model of health to each individual situation will provide the best outcome. This was evident in the case study discussed in the essay. Rodney’s experiences within the medical world ended with a positive and desirable result, but if the appropriate transcultural care was not given, that positive result would have created a negative outcome, which could have been detrimental to Rodney’s future health.
Environmental factors: The wider sociocultural and geopolitical environment in which people live can also affect an individual’s, household’s or community’s mental health status, including levels of access to primary commodities and services (water, essential health services, the rule of law), exposure to predominating cultural beliefs, attitudes or practices, as well as by social and economic policies formed at the national level. (WHO, 2012, p.
Poor living conditions are a major health determinant throughout the indigenous population. Most Indigenous Australians are known to live in rural parts of Australia which are commonly not close to major cities and services. People living in these areas generally have poorer health than others living in the cities and other parts of Australia. These individuals do not have as much access to health services and good quality housing. In 2006 roughly 14% of indigenous households in Australia were overcrowded unlike 5% of other households (AIHW, 2009a). Overcrowded and poor quality houses are commonly associated with poor physical and mental health between the people living in them. The indigenous are n...
According to Australian indigenous website, healthinfoNet, in 2010-2012 life expectancy of indigenous people were 69 years which is 11 years less than the 80 years expected for the non- indigenous men and women. Moreover, the life expectancy for native women was 73 years, during 2010-2012, which is 9.5 years less than the expectation of 83 years for non-Indigenous women. The reason for decreased health can be due to deficiencies in water supply, sanitation and lack of proper medical services.
Thank you for taking time to read my letter. As a nursing student of University of Technology Sydney, I studied contemporary indigenous subject this semester. In this letter I want to illustrate 3 main social determinants of health that impact indigenous Australian health which I found and analysed during my recently study. And also offer some suggestion that could help the government improve aboriginal Australian mental health conditions in the future.
Mental illness is an addition to all of the previously listed perceived disadvantages of Native Americans by those of other ethnicities. Many believe that Native Americans are at a higher risk for mental illness than those of European descent. Many also believe that Native Americans have more people suffer from depression than their white counterparts (Stark & Wilkins, American Indian Politics and the American Political System, 2011). There have been studies conducted to test whether or not this is the case, with mixed results. Some studies say that Natives are at a higher risk and others say they are not. This discrepancy makes the answer unclear. If Natives are actually at a higher risk for and have more people suffering from depression than individuals of European descent, the question to ask is, “why?” Several factors play into depression and other mental illness, including biology, social standing, history, family, and any preexisting/comorbid diseases that could contribute to or cause depression.
Indigenous Australians have reported high levels of racism in their lives (Paradies and Cunningham, 2009, Paradies, Y., Harris, R., & Anderson, I., 2008 and Ziersch, A., Gallahera, G., Bauma & Bentleya, M, 2011) but the main focus here is on institutional racism and the effects it has on the health and wellbeing of Indigenous Australians. Institutional racism, also known as systemic racism, signifies one of the vital barricades to improving the health care of Indigenous Australians. Institutional racism can be detrimental to the health and wellbeing of Indigenous Australians as it can go unnoticed and the object behind the racial act is not aware of the actions implied and it can be overlooked (Henry, B.R., Houston, S. & Mooney, G.H., 2004,
Meta-analysis was performed, using odds ratios for dichotomous outcomes and weighted mean differences (WMD) for continuous outcomes, with 95% confidence intervals. Primary outcomes were a red...
Department of Health South Australia. (2004). Cultural Respect Framework for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health. Australian Health Ministers’ Advisory Council. Standing Committee on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Working Party
Mental health disorders cause disability across the globe. Western countries, such as the United Kingdom and the United States, have well established services for treating mental distress and similar services are beginning to be set up in more developing countries. There are major inequalities in the availability of mental health support