Reflective Journal on Mental Health

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Assignment 2 - Reflective Journal Historical perspectives on mental illness The twentieth century has seen considerable changes to mental health. De-institutionalisation and the shift to community care meant treatment of individuals with mental illness were admitted to psychiatric facilities for shorter periods rather than undergoing extended hospitalisations (Meadows, et al., 2007). The Mental Health Strategy introduced in the eighties shifted the role of mental health services towards a recovery approach, focusing on empowerment and self-management. Taking responsibility in the absence of mental illness meant individuals could value hope and the possibilities for change by developing a sense of active engagement within society (Bland et al., 2009) through increased awareness and support in personal responsibility. This shift did not come without its problem; instead if came with many implications for people living with mental illness. Reform increased the burden on families and society due to inadequate care when needed. Thereby, escalating stigmatisation, homelessness, unmanaged medications, self-harm and harm to other people (Bland et al., 2009). These changes created implications for social workers because inadequate funding and cuts to services limited the way services were delivered. Even though there were principles to guide social work practice in mental health, tension emerged between evidence based practice, recovery principles and the lived experiences of mental health. Despite strong endorsement of the principles, inadequate resources to support initiatives for client needs, culture awareness and undeveloped knowledge required considerable change and needed to be addressed. Lived experiences of mental health problems There have been widespread contradictions regarding the prevalence of Bi-polar Disorder. Jablensky et al., (1999), and
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