Mental Health And Rural And Remote Practice - 1661 Words

The purpose of this essay is to apply critical thinking and awareness by comparing and contrasting two chosen fields of practice being mental health and rural and remote practice. This paper will discuss a brief historical outline in regards to both fields, together with a statistical overview of certain challenges and concerns that occur within the field of mental health and rural and remote practice. An emphasis will placed on the challenges faced by the client, while comparing and contrasting issues such as social disadvantage, infrastructure, drugs and alcohol misuse. Likewise, challenges faced by the worker and a comparison of the interventions used in both fields, along with the diversity of the two working environments and the†¦show more content†¦The history of the Australian mental health system dates back as far as the early settlers, with asylums and institutions being commonplace (Willis, E, Reynolds, L, Keleher, H 2013). By the 1950s deinstitutionalization wa s becoming a common occurrence, which led directly to the more recent community-based services being developed. Mental healthcare began shifting from custodial care in institutions to supporting patients returning to the community (Willis, E, Reynolds, L, Keleher, H 2013). Although, the Australian government has strived to create a comprehensive mental health service there are still many concerns. There is also a long history in regards to Australian rural and remote health, although, the magnitude of issues occurring in this sector took some years to surface. History shows us that significant concerns first started to emerge during the 1970s. The issues were confronting and required the Australian government to urgently address the myriad of health issues occurring in regional areas. Two of the main concerns transpiring in this area were relating to indigenous health and misuse of drugs and alcohol. As a result, countless rural health initiatives and projects were funded in o rder to address rural issues. Unfortunately, the health and wellbeing in these communities still remains significantly poorer then their city counterparts (Willis, E, Reynolds, L, Keleher, H 2013). The Client Many challenges exist for mentally ill clients and