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Mental health
Resources
National Mental Health plan 2003 - 2008
A vision for
mental health
Good mental health is fundamental
to the wellbeing of individuals, their
families, and the whole population.
Conversely, mental health problems
and mental illness are among the
greatest causes of disability,
diminished quality of life, and reduced
productivity. People affected by
mental health problems often have
high levels of morbidity and mortality,
experiencing poorer general health
and higher rates of death from a
range of causes, including suicide.
These conditions are significant in
terms of prevalence and disease
burden, and have far-reaching
impacts for families, carers and
others in the community.
Given our current state of knowledge,
it is not reasonable to expect that
everyone will experience good mental
health all the time, nor that the
population will ever be totally free of
mental health problems and mental
illness. However, all people in
Australia – regardless of their age,
gender, socioeconomic status,
ethnicity or cultural background –
have certain legitimate expectations
regarding their mental health.
Mental health should be understood
within a population health framework
that takes into account the complex
influences on mental health,
encourages a holistic approach to
improving mental health and
wellbeing, and develops evidencebased
interventions that meet the
identified needs of population groups
and span the spectrum from
prevention to recovery and relapse
prevention.
Download document
Available from the Mental Health and Wellbeing web site.
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