Essay On Mental Health Promotion Strategies

Mental health promotion is gradually becoming a major policy perspective area which has feared not only policymakers but also legislators and members of executives of any functional and participatory democracies such as Australia (Arango et al., 2018). Mental health nursing is also a major filed of nursing like aged-care nursing which is indeed the need of the hour and nurses of the specialization requires skills, different approach, new mindset to learn and adapt new actions areas based on the emerging priorities, and delivering quality mental health care and service to clients or consumers (Povey et al., 2016). Priority areas concerning the present scenario related to the post-pandemic gradually normalcy, people are being more prone to mental health challenges compared to the scenario before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic (Gunn et al., 2020). In the pre-pandemic situation people were busy doing their own businesses and affairs and was set into a rhythm or flow. However, due to the sudden onset of the pandemic and the consequent contingency measures, means of enforcing containment rules, and prolonged phase of home-confinement haver collectively challenges millions of people around the world in terms of their mental wellbeing at large (Saleem et al., 2021). Moreover, for financially weaker section of the societies of some countries have been the worst effected due to the lockdown measures, forced containment, and other areas related to the management of pandemic have forced vendors, and workers of the unorganized sectors of the global economy to lose their jobs and access to proper income (Moreno et al., 2020) . The paper aims to provide with mental health promotion strategies that are provided by mental health clinicians to mitigate and address mental health challenges. Additionally, the paper also seeks to evaluate structures capable of enhancing of an organization’s capacity to provide mental health promotion to people from diverse cultural and social backgrounds.

 

Mental health promotion strategies are the most important deliverable for mental health practitioners and mental health nurses around the world. Challenges concerning mental health are not the same as they used to before, rather the problems are now more intricate and diverse (Mehmet et al., 2020). However, proper knowledge of what is the major cause of mental health issues in an individual or in any target community or population group is a must for the practitioners of mental health. In the context of Australia, over 4.8 million people that is almost one-fifth of the population are suffering from behavioural or mental health issues (aihw.gov.au, 2022). These issues are also reported to show a sharp rise with 18% hike from cases in 2014-15. Moreover, 13% of the nation’s population suffer from anxiety-related conditions which has also hiked from 11% in 2015 (health.gov.au, 2022). In 2014-15, the percentage of the population suffering from depression was 9% which has now overshot 10% and more likely to rise further in the coming years. Overall, at least 44% of the population of the nation has suffered from some kind of mental health ailments in some point of their lifespan as far as the concerned age group is considered from 16 to 85 years (abs.gov.au, 2022). However, the government of Australia pledged to reduced mental health cases and came up with an action plan named “National Mental Health Reform 2012-2022” which sought to address all the existing issues related to the mental health burden on the economy, society, politics, and the nation of Australia at large (health.gov.au, 2022). At the core of the roadmap lies direction to the mental health practitioner and policymakers regarding promotion of wellbeing and a good mental health across all strata of the Australian society (everymind.org.au, 2022). Moreover, directions for accessing education, housing, all other opportunities, and employment to the people of Australia has been provided (McAllister, 2010). Moreover, deep insights on an individual’s acknowledgement, whole life, factors such as cultural, political, spiritual, social, emotional, and other forms of support to people are also given in the roadmap. The roadmap focuses on public health management of mental health, wellbeing of the people, and addressing the reasons behind mental health concerns in almost half of the nation’s population (Barry, 2007). A healthcare practitioner should focus on person-centred care, catering towards the best needs of the clients concerning mental health, informed consent, and generation of hope in clients that will help them to recover in reversible cases. If the principles of the concepts of mental health promotion based on the “Ottawa Charter, 1986” is concerned, advocacy, mediation, and inclusion of multistakeholder approach in mental health promotion is covetable (who.int, 2004). There are additionally, five core areas on which every mental health plan should be based on of which some are responsibilities of the governments and public policymakers while some are on the onus of the clinicians and mental health practitioners. Moreover, emphasis should be based on development of a prudent public policy is the first area that needs to be looked after, creation of supportive environments for mental health and strengthening actions to prioritize issues in communities such as the Aboriginal community in Australia and responding to the root causes that impact mental health challenges in the community (Barry et al., 2019). In addition to that, developing personal skills for supporting people and clients, and reorienting mental health services based on the situational needs are key or core areas that are the need of the hour as far as mental health promotion strategies provided by mental health clinicians related to mental health challenges are concerned (Haggerty & Mrazek, 1994). Moreover, concerning mental health nurses, they have immense impact in elevating the overall mental health of the population or community of a nation. There are some core principles on which they need to emphasize in order to cater towards positive client outcomes and prevention of a lot of mental health challenges on an individual level as well as community level (who.int, 2004). Nursing professionals engaged with mental health nursing are more inclined towards unpredictable situations and ups and downs in their career handling clients at various healthcare settings. Thus, it is also recommended that along with prioritization of the fiver core areas, they should nurture of cultivate certain qualities that are very essential in the direction of safety, and provision of quality care to the health consumers of clients (aihw.gov.au, 2022). Mindfulness is the most important quality that a mental health nurses should seek to instil which will enable nurses to identify challenges that encourages them to foster healthy and functional therapeutic relationship with the clients so that misunderstanding of suggestions and miscommunication can be overcome (everymind.org.au, 2022). Moreover, when assumptions and own prejudices are identified, they can be gradually conquered which will also foster better care outcomes and professional relationship with clients. Moreover, mental health nurses should also work for valuing existing differences which is capable of enriching relationship with each other (Mehmet et al., 2020). Active and empathetic listening should also be instilled which will validate concerns of clients which are common for mental health clients. Seeking to distribute the prevalent power imbalance and equating it with conscious use of power should be the next element which mental health nurses should also try to inculcate. Moreover, being humble and always willing to learn are covetable qualities that nursing professionals should practice (Arango et al., 2018). Exploring differences and respecting them along with person-first language are covetable as well. In person-first language or people-first language, a person who is the subject of any diagnosis is described as what the person “has” in terms of ailments of diseases in place of what the person “is” (Moreno et al., 2020). The main objective of doing so is to avoid dehumanization or marginalization. Proper knowledge of all the domains and strategies mentioned in the paper will not only help mental health practitioners and nurses aware of what are desirable and what should be avoided, and what areas of focus will bolster care outcomes and more comprehensive mental health promotion (Saleem et al., 2021).

 

Mental health promotion is not just from the present perspectives just to respond to mental health problems on an individual basis but the rate with which the world is passing through mental health pandemic across the borders is forcing policymakers and practitioners to promote mental health in communities (Gunn et al., 2020). The first and the most important structure that increase an organization’s capacity for providing mental health to people from diverse cultural and social backgrounds is to understand culture of the target community above anything else (Monson et al., 2020). In the context of Australia, as far as the “First Australians” that is the Aboriginal Australian community is concerned, it can be said that if a clinician or nurse have good understanding of the history of the community concerning the subjects from which they have passed intergenerationally (Povey et al., 2016). Racism and colonial dark past have jointly disserved the community not just in the sense that they are living with almost the most challenging situation in life (McGough et al., 2018). They do not have proper means of income, employment, education, personal and community awareness and understanding of health and hygiene that are leading to huge cases of mental health illness in the community. Facilitation of equitable access to various social determinants of health (SDHs) such as transport, housing, education, employment, and access to health care should be a priority for catering towards the mental health challenges in the community (Seaton et al., 2017). Secondly, policymakers must frame policies and perspectives in such a manner that ensure the utmost perinatal, antenatal, and maternal health to the conceiving mothers. Moreover, addressing the root concerns which impact the overall outcomes of health and wellbeing in the aboriginal community is the main factor which will give foundation to the lawmakers in framing adequate policy directives and laying guidelines (Saleem et al., 2021).

 

 

Encouragement of ascertaining evidence-based strategies and informing clients and communities regularly is also crucial strategy for mental wellbeing in the community and more comprehensive clinical support to the community (Povey et al., 2016). Moreover, programs and health promotion activities should be based on implementation of support programs serving towards optimal physical health and wellbeing of the community concerned so that their mental health challenges are less likely to arise and even in case, mental health issues arise, regular physical activities, meditation, yoga, team sports, and ensuring addressal of the SDHs such as good income and healthcare access will be a game changer (McGough et al., 2018). Along with the strategies and health promotion priority areas, ascertaining physical activities, cycling, running, mass walking movements for advocacy for health of the community, and proper nutrition will support the long-term mental health goals of the community (Gunn et al., 2020). In addition to that, aged-care agencies should also cater towards facilitation of doorstep care delivery, promotion of healthy ageing strategies, maintaining cognitive flexibility, and increasing social connection with the aged and elderly people of the community (Monson et al., 2020). This is how, an organisation working for mental health promotion among a target community can experience enhancement of their capacity to provide mental health promotion to people from diverse social and cultural backgrounds (Kilian & Williamson, 2018).

 

 

The paper discussed mental health promotion strategies that are provided by mental health clinicians to mitigate and address mental health challenges. Additionally, the paper also seeks to evaluate structures capable of enhancing of an organization’s capacity to provide mental health promotion to people from diverse cultural and social backgrounds. Concerning mental health promotion strategies are the most important deliverable for mental health practitioners and mental health nurses around the world, challenges are not the same as they used to before, rather the problems are now more intricate and diverse for addressing community mental health needs with distinct and special cultural and linguistic background. It is thus suggested that a healthcare practitioner should focus on person-centred care, catering towards the best needs of the clients concerning mental health, informed consent, and generation of hope in clients that will help them to recover in reversible cases. Moreover, use of person-first language, person-centred care, empathy, cultural understanding and respect, ensuring power balance in therapeutic relationships, and facilitation of doorstep aged care delivery, promotion of healthy ageing strategies, maintaining cognitive flexibility, and increasing social connection with the aged and elderly people of the community are good strategies for mental health promotion.

 

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