Everyone has a right to public participation; while it is a political principle or practice it is also a basic human right. Everyone deserves to have their basic human rights upheld and this is true for none more than the many people who suffer from mental health issues. These people are already greatly disadvantaged in society and therefore maintaining their engagement in their wider community and society as a whole is of the utmost importance. In this paper the principle of public participation will be explored in context to how it might relate to people with mental health issues. Public participation in the mental health sector is often referred to as consumer participation where the individuals and their families who are the consumers …show more content…
‘Previously, people with mental illness were institutionalized, whereas now their care and treatment has a community focus, enabling treatment in the least-restrictive environment.’ (Bennetts et al. 2011, p. 158) Arguably the most important factors in consumer participation at the service level are the culture of the services and the attitudes of their clinicians and staff. ‘When clients are dissatisfied with their experiences of mental health services, lack of respect from mental health professionals and lack of access to therapeutic time are common complaints.’ (Ruddick, 2010, p. 24) The service level of participation does begin to see the involvement of wider stakeholders in contributing to an effective mental health service. These include not only the consumers and carers but also the mental health service providers and mental health service managers. (Department of Health and Ageing, 2005) Rogers (cited in Ruddick, 2010, p.24) affirms that these mental health professionals must show ‘acceptance, genuineness and emphatic understanding’ towards their consumers to achieve ‘effective therapeutic relationships.’ The consumer consultant is a particularly key stakeholder at the service level of public participation. Interviews (Bennetts et al. 2011, p. 159) of mental health service managers found that …show more content…
Some argue that ‘Consumer participation is an integral platform for mental health service reform’ (Bennetts et al. 2011, p. 161) Lammers and Happell (2003, p. 386) argue that reform is happening and poor cultures are being recognised as ‘Changes to the way in which mental health services are delivered continue to be implemented and governments and communities continue to aspire to changing the culture in which mental health services have existed for so long.’ State and federal governments in Australia have responded to concerns by commissioning a number of inquiries ‘that primarily investigated the clinical and management practices undertaken within psychiatric institutions. These investigations spearheaded the introduction of policies designed to improve…conditions’ (Lammers & Happell, 2003, p. 186) Here policy development can be seen playing an important role in improving mental health services and their consumer participation. While in the previously mentioned interviews of mental health service managers ‘Training and education emerged as a theme and seemed to be recognized as an appropriate place for consumer participation’ (Bennetts et al. 2011, p. 162) The need for additional education and training to better meet the needs of people with mental health issues was also highlighted in ‘The Report into the Human Rights of People with Mental Illness,
Throughout this essay, each theme includes sub-topics also discussed in detail. Referring back to evidence based practice (EBP), policy drivers like Rights, Relationships and Recovery (RRR) and Scottish government legislation, such as Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003. These documents are the framework, which are essential in order to support the standard of care offered to each individual using mental health services in Scotland.
In this essay, I would like to explore a limited number of key concepts within Adult Social Work, pertaining to Mental Health Services and their users. Unfortunately, due to the certain word count restrictions imposed, and the complexity of the subject, I have decided to critically analyse a complex and divisive policy within mental health social work. I am predominantly concerned with the impact the personalised care approach has on those involved with the social work. I am going to discuss the theory surrounding it, the circumstances in which it was received and comprehended by the professionals and lay people alike in order to facilitate a better understanding of the subject at hand. Having an understanding of the process of application, the carers and service users’ perception as well as the challenges this concept has brought within the Social care system opens the mind to questioning the base value supporting Personalisation.
...business. Also, the government needs to step up and pass legislation that puts more pressure on employers to include mental health coverage. Legislation pertaining to parity was a step forward, but an employer currently can simply drop mental health coverage to circumvent the laws. Finally, it is the duty of practitioners to serve the patients best interest, not that of the managed care company. Practitioners must put pressure on managed mental health care companies to place power back into the hands of the mental health professional who provide care for the patients daily. Patients are people not numbers.
Practitioners are likely to concentrate on the mental health issues rather than the overall issues that prevent the well-being of an individual. For instance, an individual could have other medical issues that need attention but the need could be ignored because a psychiatrist specialises in mental health needs. The previous negative experience of a service user and lack of insight could result in the service user not requesting the support they
Thornicroft, G., & Tansella, M. (2005). Growing recognition of the importance of service user involvement in mental health service planning and evaluation. Epidemiologia e Psichiatria Sociale, 14(01), 1-3.
Continuing budget cuts on mental health care create negative and detrimental impacts on society due to increased improper care for mentally ill, public violence, and overcrowding in jails and emergency rooms. Origins, of mental health as people know it today, began in 1908. The movement initiated was known as “mental hygiene”, which was defined as referring to all things preserving mental health, including maintaining harmonious relation with others, and to participate in constructive changes in one’s social and physical environment (Bertolote 1). As a result of the current spending cuts approaching mental health care, proper treatment has declined drastically. The expanse of improper care to mentally ill peoples has elevated harmful threats of heightened public violence to society.
Participation in mental health refers to a range of processes where the consumer, carers and family members engage to collaborate in the planning, development and evaluation of recovery services (Groves 2012, p.1). Research indicates that consumer participation in health services results in higher quality, cost effective, accountable services and project with an improved health outcome for the consumer. The participation of consumers and cares can also allow mental health professionals the chance to gain insight into service provisions and the chance to build relationships with consumers and cares. Consumer participation is regarded as a fundamental aspect towards the recovery process. This is due to the fact that it enhances social inclusion through socially valued roles and helps develop new skills. It’s also been suggest that there’s an increased sense of satisfaction from staff when the consumer and carers are actively participating in their care and treatment (National Mental Health Consumer & Carer Forum 2010 pp. 1-2). Consumers and their cares and family have the right to participate in all areas of decision-making that impact their mental health. By participation, consumers, carers, families and mental health professional can collaborate share responsibilities about care and treatment decisions. Encouraging participation can be an
In today’s society, the stigma around mental health has caused many people to fear seeking medical treatment for problems they are dealing with. With an abundance of hateful outlooks and stereotypical labels such as: crazy, psycho, and dangerous, it is clear that people with a mental illness have a genuine reason to avoid pursuing medical treatments. Along with mental health stigma, psychiatric facilities that patients with a mental health issue attend in order to receive treatment obtain an excessive amount of unfavorable stereotypes.
An important change that needs to happen within mental health services is for service users to be involved in all aspects of their care. This is called a working partnership where information is shared, choices are given and decisions are made together. The Department of Health (1999) states that service users should be involved in the planning and delivery of the care they receive. Drawing from course materials and external research this essay will discuss why developing this working relationship is important. It will look at past and current service provision, discuss what happens in practice, consider what change needs to take place for a working partnership to be achieved and how this relationship can benefit both service user and practitioner. The essay will also discuss whether there might be resistance to the idea of this working partnership and how these barriers might be addressed so that this change can be implemented in practice.
Aside from clinical management, this should also involve promoting acceptance and understanding of the experience in such a way that the illness is framed as part of the individual without defining them as a whole. The meaning attached by the individual to their experience can affect their progress and so, their life story, hopes, fears and unique social situation are central in the recovery process. While this serves to encourage acceptance of the individual’s distress, it also facilitates hope for resolution; therefore, professionals are required to enable the individual to unearth their own strengths and meaning. This means reclaiming a full and meaningful life either with or without psychotic symptoms so that the individual can maintain a life even if mental issues persist. Thus, services are required to facilitate a higher level of functioning for service users that enables the individual adapts their attitudes, values and experience; by taking personal responsibility through self-management to seek out help and support as required, rather than being clinically managed
In today’s society there is a greater awareness of mental illnesses. With this greater awareness one might assume that there would be a substantial increase in government involvement or funding in the area of mental illness treatment. Unfortunately this isn’t the case in the U.S. today. There are hundreds of thousands of people with mental illness that go untreated. These potential patients go untreated for many reasons. These reasons are discussed in the Time article “Mental Health Reform: What Would it Really Take.
Since there are few regulations and a general lack of state presence in the mental health community, there is a lot of room for error and potential discrimination. On television and in the media we hear the horror stories of nurses manipulating and abusing patients to gain a twisted sense of superiority. Even though some of the stories in the media can be extreme, a majority of patients feel like they have been discriminated against while being treated, in fact “Many patients who seek help for mental health problems report feeling ‘patronized, punished or humiliated’ in their dealings with health professionals” (Christina Pellegrini, 2014). Walking into a health care facility, one expects to get fair, nondiscriminatory treatment, yet many patients feel as if they were punished or humiliated for seeking treatment. This feeling of denigration “[includes] negativity about a patient’s chance of recovery, misattribution of unrelated complaints to a patient’s mental illness and refusal to treat psychiatric symptoms in a medical setting”(2014). While patients are being treated, they are also being scrutinized, and treated as inferior just for having a mental condition. Even while having minimal access around the country to mental health treatment, the treatment itself is plagued with malpractice. This raises many questions about the mental health care systems, as well as the human rights that the patients are entitled to as human beings. While in a hospital, no one should feel like they’re being shamed or patronized because of their condition, regardless of the medical ailment. No matter the stance on this issue, for or against human rights, people in the mental health community deserve to have fair (meaning nonabusive and accessible)
The development of mental health policy has gone through many changes in the course of the twentieth century. Today, mental health policy is totally different from the policy hundreds of years ago. Because of this, it is important to emphasize the fact that mental health policy has shifted from the indifference and isolation of people with mental illness, to the delivery of social services and community integration. In other words, mental health policy has experienced a serious change that has changed the attitude of policy makers, health care professionals, ordinary people, and also to people with a mental illness. Today, people with mental health problems are no longer outsiders as they used to be. Instead they are seen as people who have different needs and social geared towards their integration into the community. The federal government now has a policy that addresses the problems faced by people with mental illness, gives the community a chance to understand these people, and sets a standard in providing mental health services. There are over seventy actions in The Federal Mental Health Action Agenda. “It offers an unprecedented opportunity to fundamentally alter the form and function of the mental health service delivery system in this country to one that puts individuals-adults with mental illnesses, children with emotional disturbances, and family members-at its very core” (The Federal Action Agenda: First Steps. Web. 24 Mar. 2014).
Why is there a cloud of judgment and misunderstanding still surrounding the subject? People with a mental disorder or with a history of mental health issues are continually ostracized by society. This results in it being more difficult than it already is for the mentally ill to admit their symptoms to others and to seek treatment. To towards understanding mental illness is to finally lift the stigma, and to finally let sufferers feel safe and accepted within today’s society. There are many ways in which the mentally ill are degraded and shamed.
Rogers, A. Pilgram, D. & Lacey, R. (1993) Experiencing Psychiatry: Users’ Views of Services. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.