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Enablers and barriers to accessing mental health services for adults with high prevalence psychological disorders in South West Victoria

conference contribution
posted on 2009-01-01, 00:00 authored by Prasuna Reddy, J Morrison, Kate SchlichtKate Schlicht
Knowing what services are available and how to access them can be challenging in rural areas. The aim of the South West Mental Health Mapping project was to identify the level, accessibility and effectiveness of mental health services for high prevalence psychological disorders amongst the adult population in the South West region of Victoria. This study includes data from a number of sources: regional records of the number and location of health professionals; a telephone survey of 1297 people in five Local Government Areas in the region; and a social network analysis of contact points. Additional qualitative interviews and surveys were conducted with 25 service recipients and 37 health professionals to identify issues from different perspective. This paper will focus on the social network analysis of the project. It highlights the relative prominence of each type of service provider within the overall network. The social network map shows the centrality of the General Practitioner and the wide range of agencies that become involved in supporting people with mental health issues. The discussion identifies primary contact points for people seeking help and places of referral. The main barrier acknowledged by people requiring assistance was lack of knowledge about where to go for help. Enablers included Medicare Better Access funded schemes. The findings show that there is a reasonable range of mental health professionals across the region, although there are challenges with recruitment and retention of staff. Even with available services, a major problem is communicating this information to potential consumers

History

Event

Australian Psychological Society. Conference (44th : 2009 : Darwin, Northern Territory)

Publisher

Australian Psychological Society Ltd

Location

Darwin, Northern Territory

Place of publication

Melbourne, Vic.

Start date

2009-09-30

End date

2009-10-04

Language

eng

Notes

Powerprint presentation

Publication classification

E3.1 Extract of paper

Copyright notice

2009, APS

Title of proceedings

APS 2009 : Conference proceedings of the 44th Australian Psychological Society Conference 2009

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