Mental Health Risk and Prevention

What does the government have to say about early identification and intervention to prevent mental health problems?

*There are multiple risk factors for mental health problems and mental illness. Some risk factors may act as immediate precursors to mental health problems and mental illness. These include bereavement, relationship breakdown, removal from family and social supports, being in a carer role, unemployment and other major life events.

Others are longer term and include biological predisposition and adverse childhood events, including deprivation and abuse. Some risk factors are linked to the individual, such as drug and alcohol use and physical health problems. Others occur at a community level and include social exclusion, discrimination and bullying. Certain life stages render individuals particularly vulnerable (e.g. childhood, adolescence and old age).

There are multiple protective factors that moderate the effect of risk factors and minimise the likelihood that individuals will experience mental health problems, mental illness or engage in suicidal behaviour. Like risk factors, protective factors can be short term or long term, rest with the individual or their community, and vary across the lifespan. They can include factors like robust self esteem, emotional resilience and strong social networks.

Prevention involves understanding and minimising factors which heighten risk and enhancing factors which improve resistance to mental health problems, mental illness and suicide. Universal prevention efforts target whole communities, with the aim of promoting resilience in individuals or positively impacting on some aspect of the social environment.

Early intervention can reduce the impact of mental health problems and mental illness through interventions for:

• identified at-risk populations
• people experiencing a mental health problem or mental illness for the first time
• people who are experiencing early indications of a relapse or recurrence of illness.

Mental health problems and mental illness often first appear in adolescence or early adulthood, and can seriously disrupt school, work and family relationships. This can have immediate and potentially long-term negative personal and social outcomes, such as substance abuse and behavioural problems.

Complex mental health problems can also appear in childhood and infancy and can impact on early development and long term mental health and well-being. Older Australians can also experience specific problems associated with late onset of mental illness.

Within all age groups, some people may experience a single episode whereas others will have recurrences throughout their lives. Each episode may have economic and social repercussions, jeopardising education, job and housing security and disrupting relationships.

Successful early identification and intervention requires clear access pathways and a coordinated approach which is suited to individual life stages and situations and takes into account the impact of environmental and social factors on mental health and well-being.

*Excerpts from the Australian National Mental Health Policy 2008 Download the PDF you may view it here