scholarly journals How Did Youth Mental Health Make It Onto Australia’s 2011 Federal Policy Agenda?

SAGE Open ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 215824401668085 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harvey A. Whiteford ◽  
Carla Meurk ◽  
Georgia Carstensen ◽  
Wayne Hall ◽  
Peter Hill ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Agenda Setting ◽  
Relevant Literature ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Federal Budget ◽  
Youth Mental Health ◽  
Policy Formulation ◽  
Policy Agenda ◽  
Quantitative Evidence

The 2011 Australian federal budget included a large investment in youth mental health and early intervention services. In this article, we focus on the critical role of agenda setting in the preceding 4 years to examine how and why these services were given such a high priority at this time. We undertook a systematic review of relevant literature, including parliamentary Hansard transcripts from the House of Representatives and Senate, the final reports of all available parliamentary committees, government policy documents, other pertinent documents held by the Commonwealth Department of Health and Aging, and media reports from five widely circulated Australian publications/news outlets. We used Kingdon’s multiple streams framework to structure analysis. We highlight three factors that were influential in getting youth mental health issues onto the policy agenda: (a) the strategic use of quantitative evidence to create a publicly visible “problem,” (b) the marshalling of the “public” to create pressure on government, and (c) the role of serendipity. Overall, we found the decision to prioritize youth mental health resulted from a combination of advocacy for a well-articulated policy solution by high-profile, influential policy entrepreneurs, and political pressure caused by an up swell of national support for mental health reform. Our findings highlight the socio-political factors that influence agenda setting and health policy formulation. They raise important ethical and strategic issues in utilizing research evidence to change policy.

scholarly journals Describing the recovery experiences of not criminally responsible clients living in the community

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Irene Boldt
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Clinical Practice ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Forensic Mental Health ◽  
Process Of Change ◽  
Recovery Experiences ◽  
Not Criminally Responsible ◽  
Qualitative Descriptive

This study describes the recovery experiences of persons who have been found not criminally responsible on account of a mental disorder (NCRMD). A qualitative descriptive methodology was used to elicit the recovery experiences of five participants. The overarching theme that arose from the data was ‘Experiencing and understanding recovery in the forensic mental health system (FMHS) as a dynamic process of change,’ and the major themes that emerged out of the overarching theme are: ‘Recovering in the FMHS,’ ‘the Critical Role of Medication,’ ‘the Significance of Relationships,’ ‘the Importance of Helping Yourself,’ and ‘Navigating Challenges.’ The results of this inquiry reveal that the participants’ experiences of recovery are greatly influenced by their involvement in the FMHS. This study offers a preliminary understanding of how recovery is experienced by NCRMD clients who reside in the community and suggests implications for clinical practice and education, as well as future research and theory.

scholarly journals A theory of public wellbeing

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew Fisher
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Public Policy ◽  
Social Change ◽  
Social Cognition ◽  
Social Determinants ◽  
Policy Agenda ◽  
Social Environments ◽  
Basic Functions ◽  
Policy Proposals

Abstract Background Wellbeing is seen as a matter of concern for governments and public policy. However, current theories on wellbeing are not well placed to inform this concern, because they fail to take account of and explain evidence on social determinants of mental health. Discussion This article proposes a new theory of public wellbeing which does takes account of such evidence, by explaining the role of stress within three basic functions of social cognition. Building on this description, the article then proposes that wellbeing consists in seven basic abilities, which are always developed and exercised (or not) through constant processes of interaction between individual and environment. The article explains why contemporary theories on wellbeing are poorly placed to inform public policy for wellbeing. It also positions the proposed theory in relation to evidence on social determinants of health (SDH) and the associated public policy agenda. It is argued the proposed theory of wellbeing extends on and challenges the SDH policy agenda in relation to the normative target of policy proposals, factors identified as determinants, impacts of determinants on populations, and proposals for political and social change. Conclusion Improved theory on public wellbeing can inform policy for wellbeing because it explains the contingent nature of wellbeing within contemporary social environments, and extends understanding of social determinants of wellbeing.

People, processes, and systems: An observational study of the role of technology in rural youth mental health services

2016 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 259-272 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simone Orlowski ◽  
Sharon Lawn ◽  
Ben Matthews ◽  
Anthony Venning ◽  
Gabrielle Jones ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Services ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Observational Study ◽  
Youth Mental Health ◽  
Rural Youth

Youth mental health in deprived urban areas: a Delphi study on the role of the GP in early intervention

2014 ◽  
Vol 184 (4) ◽  
pp. 831-843 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Schaffalitzky ◽  
D. Leahy ◽  
W. Cullen ◽  
B. Gavin ◽  
L. Latham ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Early Intervention ◽  
Delphi Study ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Youth Mental Health

Understanding Adolescent Narratives About “Bullying” Through an Intersectional Lens: Implications for Youth Mental Health Interventions

2016 ◽  
Vol 50 (5) ◽  
pp. 636-658 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca J. Haines-Saah ◽  
Carla T. Hilario ◽  
Emily K. Jenkins ◽  
Cara K. Y. Ng ◽  
Joy L. Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Youth Mental Health ◽  
Health Interventions ◽  
Contextual Approach ◽  
Social Inequities ◽  
The Social ◽  
Mental Health Interventions ◽  
A Site

This article is based on findings from a qualitative study with 27 adolescents in northern British Columbia, Canada. Our aim was to explore youths’ perspectives on the sources of emotional distress in their lives and how these are connected to peer-based aggression and victimization within their community. Our analysis of narrative findings suggests that youths’ narratives about bullying reflect intersecting and socially embedded configurations of “race,” neocolonialism, and place. We argue that mainstream approaches to addressing bullying as a relationship-based problem must be re-oriented to account for the role of the social or structural contexts of youths’ lives. By applying an intersectional lens, we make the case for a widening of the focus of interventions away from individual victims and perpetrators, toward a contextual approach that addresses how adolescents experience bullying as a site of health and social inequities in their community.

scholarly journals The EVITA framework for evidence-based mental health policy agenda setting in low- and middle-income countries

2020 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 424-439
Author(s):  
Nicole Votruba ◽  
Jonathan Grant ◽  
Graham Thornicroft
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Agenda Setting ◽  
Health Research ◽  
Research Policy ◽  
Mental Health Research ◽  
Policy Agenda ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Health Research Policy ◽  
Depth Interviews

Abstract The burden of mental illness is excessive, but many countries lack evidence-based policies to improve practice. Mental health research evidence translation into policymaking is a ‘wicked problem’, often failing despite a robust evidence base. In a recent systematic review, we identified a gap in frameworks on agenda setting and actionability, and pragmatic, effective tools to guide action to link research and policy are needed. Responding to this gap, we developed the new EVITA 1.1 (EVIdence To Agenda setting) conceptual framework for mental health research–policy interrelationships in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). We (1) drafted a provisional framework (EVITA 1.0); (2) validated it for specific applicability to mental health; (3) conducted expert in-depth interviews to (a) validate components and mechanisms and (b) assess intelligibility, functionality, relevance, applicability and effectiveness. To guide interview validation, we developed a simple evaluation framework. (4) Using deductive framework analysis, we coded and identified themes and finalized the framework (EVITA 1.1). Theoretical agenda-setting elements were added, as targeting the policy agenda-setting stage was found to lead to greater policy traction. The framework was validated through expert in-depth interviews (n = 13) and revised. EVITA 1.1 consists of six core components [advocacy coalitions, (en)actors, evidence generators, external influences, intermediaries and political context] and four mechanisms (capacity, catalysts, communication/relationship/partnership building and framing). EVITA 1.1 is novel and unique because it very specifically addresses the mental health research–policy process in LMICs and includes policy agenda setting as a novel, effective mechanism. Based on a thorough methodology, and through its specific design and mechanisms, EVITA has the potential to improve the challenging process of research evidence translation into policy and practice in LMICs and to increase the engagement and capacity of mental health researchers, policy agencies/planners, think tanks, NGOs and others within the mental health research–policy interface. Next, EVITA 1.1 will be empirically tested in a case study.

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