Community Based Health Service Delivery System

Question: Discuss about theCommunity Based Health Service Delivery System. Answer: Tonys Perspective Core Treatment Needs/Goals Mental health is an important aspect of healthcare in various healthcare systems among various jurisdictions all over the world. However, many healthcare systems have not been able to come up with a comprehensive mental health plan majorly due to the fact that planning for mental health is very costly and requires huger financial investments. Therefore, poor mental health is a global problem. Individuals who suffer from mental health are more likely to suffer higher rates of disability, mortality, and morbidity than individuals who dont suffer from the same. (Levinthal, 2014).One of the countries with a high number of mental health cases is Australia although the country has taken considerable steps to address the problem by coming up with a National Mental Health Strategy and allocating over 7billion dollars to fund mental health related services. (Beardslee, 2011). For instance, it is estimated that approximately 45% of Australians develop mental health problems such as depression and anxiety disorder. The purpose of this assignment is to conduct a mental health assessment for Tony, an individual in Australia by answering the following questions from both Tonys perspective and Julie (his wife) perspective. Tony is among the many Australian adults suffering from depression and anxiety disorders (Kolb, 2006).The following are the core treatment needs/goals for Tony; Engage in productive work by engaging in a professional occupation to keep himself busy Participate in an extracurricular activity or sports.Beeing able to excel in sports will make Tony to feel good about himself and boost his self-esteem Tony should learn emotional regulation, problem- solving skills and general skills on how to cope in his new environment. Having migrated from the United Kingdom has taken a toll on Tony who is not able to reconcile himself with his new environment in a foreign country.Equiping him with necessary skills to cope in a new environment will go a long way in helping his emotional state to be stable According to Hodgkinson (2009), mental disorders can be described with signs and symptoms which may vary between specific disorders. The above treatment needs are based on the fact that Tony is suffering from depression which has led him to substance abuse particularlyalcohol. Furthermore, he is demonstrating all the symptoms of depression ranging from withdrawal, emotional disconnect from family and aggressivebehavior. The above treatment goals are aimed at helping Tony overcome his depression and restore himself to the person his wife, Julie once knew him to be. It seems Tonys depression has something to do with the fact he just emigrated to a foreign country with so much to deal with.Moreover,the medication he was given when he was younger may have caused some childhood trauma to him which is a trigger to his mental health problems. (Nevis, 2013) Options for Addressing Tonys Treatment Needs/Goals Under the current Victorian mental health service delivery model, individuals with mental illness and their family members are the major decisions makers regarding assessment, treatment, and recovery of mental illness patients (Azmi, 2008).Under this model of mental health service delivery, mental health services are based on age groups and geographical regions. This mental health plan for the state of Victoria in Australia is a model for other states in Australia who want to initiates a comprehensive mental health services plan for their residents. Under the current Victorian mental health services delivery model, Tony has two major options to be able to meet and achieve his treatment needs/goals. These options are Adult Specialists Mental Health Services (ASMH) and Psychiatric Disability Rehabilitation and Support Services. (Harrison, 2015) Under the Adult Specialists Mental Health Services, Tony will be able to access a variety of mental health services which may help him attain his treatment goals. These services include the critical assessment and treatment, acute in-patient services, early interventions and prevention and recovery care services. I am confident that the services available in Adult Specialists Mental Health Services will enable Tony to cope with his emotional statement of mind. The Psychiatric Disability Rehabilitation and Support Services provide psychosocial rehabilitation programs for individuals with serious psychological disability. Although Tony psychological disability is not serious, the services provided under this program will be very helpful to him. (Morgan, 2011) Julies Perspective Tonys Core Treatment Needs/Goals Research has shown that the friends and family of individuals with mental health problems are usually directly affected by those problems arising from individuals they care about. This situation is even worse if a spouse is suffering from mental disorders like the case of Julie and her husband Tony. It is for these reasons that the Victorian mental health services delivery model recognized the need to involve family members in decisions regarding the treatment of those individuals they care about. Julie, Tonys wife is concerned about her husband and from her own perspective, the following are the core treatment needs for Tony; Tony needs to develop anger management skills. This will enable him to suppress his aggressive tendencies which can cause physical harm to his wife and daughter. Tony should identify areas of interest and strength and become involved actively in activities that promote those strengths. This will enable Tony to occupy himself mentally which may help him become emotionally stable. Tony should be helped to identify negative and maladaptive thoughts and learn to replace those thoughts with positive and adaptive thoughts to be able to cope with the current situation. (Lawrence, 2015 Julies Options for Meeting Tonys Treatment Goals Since Tony is adamant about seeking treatment claiming that doctors have always had it for him, Julie will have to seek compulsory treatment orders. This is because at this point Tony does not express any interest to being treated and has demonstrated that he can cause physical harm to both his wife and daughter Chloe. Julie will have to seek an assessment order for compulsory treatment so that an authorized psychiatrist can examine Tony. Due to Tonys recent aggressive behavior towards Julie; he qualifies to undergo compulsory treatment orders. Julie can also seek non-residential community mental health services where Tony will be able to access critical assessments and treatment with the support of mobile support and treatment. This will enable Tony to receive both in-patient and community treatment services in a short period of time. (March, 2016) Analysis of the Current System The Victorian mental health services model is good for addressing the mental health needs of many individuals in the state of Victoria. However; the mental health service delivery model does not balance the treatment needs of the patient in question versus the treatment needs of those taking care of him. The model does not address the mental health disparities among the white majority and minority aboriginal people. Fortunately, the current mental health service delivery model allows individuals and families to be able to seek a second opinion from a psychiatrist regarding mental health problems. (Nevis, 2013) This will help in being able to reconcile the treatment needs of an individual suffering from mental health problems and the treatment needs from the family perspectives because they are the ones who take care of him/her. The fact that the Victorian mental health service delivery model allows a patient with mental health problems to have a say and participate in the decision making process to determine his/her treatment and recovery services is commendable. However, the same will not be the case when an individual is suffering from mental disability which may render him/her incapable of making decisions regarding assessment, treatment and recovery. This is where family members and care takers are able to step in and determine the individuals treatment needs or goals. (Kolb, 2006). References Azmi, F. T. (2008). The Mental Health Bill: An explanatory guide, Department of Health Beardslee, W. R. (2011). Prevention of Mental Disorders, Substance Abuse, and Problem Behaviors: A Developmental Perspective. Harrison, R. (2015). (2010). National Mental Health Guide: Australias Mental Health Services under the National Mental Health Strategy. Canberra: Commonwealth of Australia. Hodgkinson, M. (2009). Primary Care Partnerships: Integrated Care Branch of the Wellbeing, State of Victoria, Department of Health Kolb, D. (2006). National Mental Health Report: tracking progress of mental health reform in Australia. Canberra: Commonwealth of Australia. Lawrence D. (2015). The Mental Health of Children and Adolescents: Report on the second Australian Child and Adolescent Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing. Canberra: Department of Health. Levinthal, D. A. (2014). National survey of mental health and wellbeing: summary of results, Australia, 2007. Canberra: ABS. March, J. G. (2016). Health and Immunization: Mental disorders Morgan V.A. (2011). People Living With Psychotic Illness. Canberra: Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing. Nevis, E. C. (2013). Mental Health: Australian action plan