Reflection: Mental Health and Social Works

Reflection: Mental Health and Social Works
Student’s Name
Institution
Reflection: Mental Health and Social Works
Week 1: History of Mental Health
The history and evolution of mental illness can be best described by focusing on the different approaches that have been employed to manage them over the past. From a historical perspective, madness, the alternative terminology for the term mental illness, can be traced back to the ancient time of the Greeks (Kirk et al., 2017). The Greek philosophers from the ancient past perceived the concept of mental illness from their respective disciplines, leading to the varied interpretation of the term madness. From a psychiatric historian’s point of view, madness was viewed as a “struggle over great unbearable elemental conflicts of life such as love, hate, jealousy, and greed and as an effort to cope with their powerful emotions of unreason” (Kirk et al., 2017 p.41).
During the colonial era all through the 18th century, mental illness transitioned from a social problem as perceived by the ancient Greeks to a medical problem. This led to the institutionalisation of the term madness and potentially triggering the adoption of management practices for mental illness. The asylums of the 19th century are an example of management facilities being regarded for moral treatment of mental disorders, alienation of the mad from the general public, and protecting them from physical punishment. Moral treatment was most applicable before the 19th century because madness was not regarded as a medical disorder (Vrklevski et al., 2017). Despite the greater success registered by the moral treatment of insanity, the need to put more emphasis on medicine arose. It was until the mid-19th century that the medical management of mental health started taking shape. It is the scientific approach that has led to the classification of the different mental health illnesses into different categories and names. The prevalence of the psychosocial and environmental causes of mental illness necessitated the adoption of a more proactive way of managing mental illness, including the psychiatric approach and the incorporation of mental health issues into the domain of social work (Bland et al., 2016).
From the observation of the historical evolution of mental illness, I can conclude that mental health is as versatile as any other social condition. Considering the transformation it has undergone over the past, both from the understanding of the core concept that defines mental illness to the management practices that have also undergone some drastic changes, it would be prudent to anticipate more dramatic evolutions with the subject matter because the rate of mental illness is not getting any better. By so doing, more efficient and proactive measures of tackling the detrimental social problem can be brought attained.
Week 2: Social Work Perspective on Mental Health
The complexity with the overall concept of mental health necessitated its perception and interpretation from diverse perspectives from social, psychological, and biological perspectives (Read et al., 2013). This paints a picture of mental health as a multi-disciplinary challenge. Mental illness is a ubiquitous endeavour, implying that every profession and work environment ought to put in place measures and mechanisms to address it. The social work profession is often closely linked with the contemporary issue of mental health, with the Australian National Mental Health Strategy identifying social work as one among the core disciplines dealing with mental health (Bland et al., 2016). The ubiquity of mental illness implies that social workers will at one point encounter a person experiencing behavioural distress or mental illness. Besides, the social aspects likely to influence one's mental health including financial and housing security, social support, living standards, and working conditions, among others, are key areas of concern for social workers and also make the social perspective of mental health more relevant (Carr et al., 2004).
The medical perspective has become more prevalent than all the other perspectives, psychiatry being the dominant medical field in the domain of mental health (Carr et al., 2004). After careful consideration of the capabilities of social workers and also taking into consideration the social perspective of mental illness, I strongly believe the expertise and professionalism of social workers need to be put into much focus in addressing the overall menace of mental illness. Mental health agencies and even medical facilities that have become the focal point in addressing mental illness stand to benefit from the input of a social worker. It is in this regard that I recommend that social work as a profession and a discipline be given the respect it deserves concerning its role in managing mental health, including channelling resources towards equipping them with sufficient content on matters of metal health. According to Bland et al. (2016), schools offer very little on the scope and nature of mental health practices with more emphasis on the theoretical concepts rather than the practical approaches. Incorporating social work professionalism into the domain of mental health also allows for leveraging the skills and knowledge of social work relevant to the contemporary context of mental health.
Week 3: Political, Legal, and Organizational Context
Just as mental health has medical implications to the general public, it also has some implications that can translate into political repercussions, thus the relevance of political perspective. According to the Australian Productivity Commission Inquiry Report, the mental health of the Australian population is a determinant factor in the economic participation and productivity of the country, and thus the political perspective of the mental health concept comes into play (Whiteford, 2021). The government spends a substantial amount of money on issues related to mental health, with 7.6 percent of the federal government spending dedicated to the cause in the year 2017/18 (Whiteford, 2021). Consequently, the government has initiated measures and mechanisms to help respond to the surging rates of mental illnesses among its population including the establishment of mental health commission and the development of numerous strategic plans to curb the root causes of mental health-related illness such as the Alcohol and Other Drug Strategy. Policy formulation is one of the most reliable government initiatives aimed at curbing mental health issues, with Australia boasting of having the most innovative population-based mental health policy (Hickie et al., 2005). Aside from the government role in battling the mental health menace, other organisations, including non-governmental organisations, private organisations and social institutions have played an important role in curbing mental illness.
The government has done a tremendous job in managing mental health issues through policy formulation and even public and private partnership. However, I believe that non-governmental organisations are better placed to spread awareness and education regarding mental health because of its proximity to the members of the community as well as the perception that the NGOs are often driven by the desire to serve the greater good. As much as the policies enacted to curb the exacerbation of mental illnesses have born some fruit, it does not have to be structured in a manner that is punitive to the target. Also, it would be prudent for the government to seek the input of the NGOs and social workers in the enactment of policies and strategic plans aimed towards the management of mental health issues to leverage on their vast knowledge and experience with the member of society on matters of mental health.
Week 4: Critical and Clinical Pers...