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thesydneyfeminists · 6 years

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Mental Health in Australia

Mental illness has been misdiagnosed, ignored and misunderstood throughout history. Today, the medical industry is still woefully inadequate when it comes to addressing mental health issues that affect all members of society, either directly or indirectly. Mental illness can affect people in a number of ways, sometimes to a disabling degree. Mental illness is characterised by the mental state of an individual who may have an altered mood, behaviour and thoughts. Due to gender imbalances, women’s symptoms are often misdiagnosed and, as is too often the case, not believed. This stems from a long-held notion that women are prone to “hysteria” (now termed as conversion disorder or somatoform disorder) and that they exaggerate or even make up symptoms, or are prone to “feminine fragility”.

The ignorance of some in the medical community has resulted in the large-scale under-treatment of women and minority groups, meaning that many are not receiving the care that they require for their medical condition.

According to the Australian Medical Association 7.3 million Australians between the ages of 16 to 85 will struggle with a mental disorder in their lifetime, most commonly depression, anxiety and substance abuse problems. The amount of the population that are affected by mental health disorders is significant, despite the little attention it is given in the public conversations. Even at its most mild, depression and anxiety have large effects on the daily life of an individual, impacting everything from behaviour to the ability to retain a job or complete study. In Australia those affected by schizophrenia are most likely to die twenty-five years earlier than others without it. Severe depression can inhibit someone from engaging in everyday activities including conversing with others or even getting out of bed; similar symptoms accompany anxiety. Unfortunately, the mental health industry in Australia is considerably underfunded which hinders its ability to conduct research and improve in-patient treatment. While the industry itself needs to improve, only two in every five people actively pursue medical help when experiencing mental health complications. This is likely due to a lack of educating surrounding the issue, as well as stigma.

Mental health problems have been linked to exposure to dangerous chemicals before birth, brain chemistry and the inheritance of conditions that are present in blood relatives. Risk factors include stress, medical conditions, brain damage, trauma, abuse of substances, previous mental illness and loneliness. It is indiscriminate in age and location, affecting the entire population. This is why we need to have a societal conversation about well-being. Once someone has gotten an illness they may isolate themselves, and this increases difficulty in obtaining treatment. In the most recent government budget, there is set to be an investment of $338 million dollars to the mental health sector in particular assisting older Australians, research, and those affected by suicide.

It’s no secret that a weapon of choice from the Patriarchy to oppress women has been to label us “hysterical”. The most obvious way to discredit a community is to characterise them as over reactive and dramatic. Much of the medical sector has to answer to this ongoing mistreatment of women. Women should receive the same medical care as men, or at least be taken seriously when describing symptoms. For example, according to the Guardian reporting on a study conducted by University College of London, women with dementia were handled with less care than men with dementia. And according to Maya Dusenbery’s comprehensive book on the gender gap in health care, women are also taken less seriously in the ER, and have longer wait times than men to receive a diagnosis for a multitude of conditions.

In summary, mental health complications affect such a large proportion of the Australian population, while the current social comprehension of the issue is less than satisfactory. To change the conversation and encourage self-awareness and prevention, we need to check in on one another, tell the internet to do so as well, and keep an eye out for early warning signs in those you know. It’s easy to ignore symptoms until suddenly they engulf you; before anything escalates, it is best to reach out to a friend, or a professional.

By: Esther David

Edited by: Tessa Barratt

If you or someone you know is suffering from mental health problems, please seek help.

Here are some resources:

Beyond Blue - https://www.beyondblue.org.au/

LifeLine - https://www.lifeline.org.au/ Tel: 13 11 14

The Black Dog Institute: https://www.blackdoginstitute.org.au/getting-help/seeking-help

National LGBTI Health Alliance: https://lgbtihealth.org.au/

Editor’s Note: The Sydney Feminists are presenting a free documentary screening about Chronic Fatigue Syndrome on the 20th September in Sydney. This will be followed by a talk on medical sexism and the gender gap in health care. To find out more, please click here.

References

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/mental-illness/symptoms-causes/syc-20374968

https://ama.com.au/position-statement/mental-health-2018

http://www.who.int/mental_health/prevention/genderwomen/en/

https://mhaustralia.org/publication/2018-federal-budget-summary

https://nupsa.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/mentalhealth-istock-20150914-1080x675.jpg

http://www.talon.news/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/2B-Sonia-Mental-Health-Salt-Lake-Community-College.jpg

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/nov/20/healthcare-gender-bias-women-pain

Doing Harm: The Truth About How Bad Medicine and Lazy Science Leave Women Dismissed, Misdiagnosed, and Sick, by Maya Dusenbery. Pub. March 6 2018

#hysteria #medical sexism #gender gap in healthcare #mental health #mental healthcare #Australia #stigma around mental health #stigma #anxiety #depression #mental health in Australia

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