Do neo-liberal ideologies disadvantage those with mental illness within the Australian mental health care system?

Abstract

Within current academic literature pertaining to the social policy of mental health, there is a general acknowledgement that the mental health system utilised in Australia is inadequate. The history of the mental health system is tumultuous and yet recent times have shown a marked move towards the incorporation of systems aimed at aiding those who suffer from mental disorders. Given the constantly changing nature of how mental illness itself and its treatment are perceived it has been studied, and is continually studied under a variety of paradigms. Currently, in conceptualising and analysing the mental health system, it is considered within academic discourse through Social Policy. In the past, social policy has been analysed using several different theoretical frameworks including Marxism and social democratism. However, this thesis argues that neither are adequate in explaining the current issues within the mental health system, and argues that the current system is better conceptualised within a neoliberal framework. Furthermore, it is considered that the employment of this ideology has had detrimental effects on the current mental health system employed within New South Wales. As such, this thesis argues that the employment of neoliberal ideologies has resulted in disadvantaging those with mental illness. This conclusion was reached through three different methodological approaches. The first two were aimed at ascertaining different attitudes and involved interviews with social workers within the system and a content analysis of the media. The final approach served two purposes, to analyse the usability of the Australian Government’s website and to ascertain the facilities available to those with mental illness. Despite methodological flaws it was surmised that the employment of neoliberal ideologies within the mental health system of Australia significantly disadvantages those with mental illness.