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Influence Of Mental Illness In Australia

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The Influences that Impact the Perception of Mental Illness in China and Australia.

Mental Illness is depicted as an individual’s tendency to exhibit emotions, thoughts and behaviours that do not coincide with what are considered to be the societal norms (Manderscheid et al., 2010). Moreover, throughout history the perception has been that those with mental illnesses should be categorised as dangerous and unstable individuals. Undoubtedly, due to the negative connotations associated with these phrases, society has ignited a severe stigma leading to the “devaluing, disgracing, and disfavouring by the general public”(Abdullah & Brown, 2011) of individuals with these conditions. Although, this has been a long standing prominent issue all around …show more content…
Moreover, the recognition of the strong level of influence that it has over one’s personal characteristics is essential in identifying why Australia’s current perception of Mental Health has grown and developed over time. According to the first National Mental Health Literacy Survey (NMHLS) which was carried out in 1995 illustrated that vast masses of the Australian public possessed a stigmatising attitude towards those with severe mental illness. For example, it was indicated that the general public was likely to associate dangerousness, individual weakness and unpredictability with individuals that suffered from a variety of mental illnesses (Reavley & Jorm, 2011a). Throughout the mid 1990’s the ability to understand and manage mental health was seen as the role of medical professionals, therefore increasing the knowledge of these bodies was a central focus of mental illness healthcare. Hence therefore, there was limited advancement in the attitudes and beliefs of the general public as they were not targets for this information (Jorm, 2012). However, due to the implementation of the educational based community programs such as beyondblue and an increase in the discussion of mental disorders in schools through interventions such as MindMatters, there has been an evident shift in the Australian population’s previously instilled …show more content…
Moreover, it is once again through the government initiative beyondblue that we see the impact that external influences such as advertising, had on Australia’s perceptions of mental health. For example, beyondblue utilised advertising campaigns in various forums such as television, the internet, artistic and sporting events in order to promote community awareness (Jorm, 2012). The…

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