The Role Of Marginalization Of Mental Health In Australia

Despite almost 20% of Australians between the age of 16-85 experiencing symptoms of a psychiatric condition each year, those experiencing mental health concerns remain very marginalised within Australia’s community. In my town of Tamworth, there is huge stigma regarding mental illness, and those who experience such issues are often looked down on or as if they are ‘less’ of a person.

I believe the stigma surrounding mental health can at times hinder people from seeking help with psychiatric symptoms due to the fear of being rejected or the sense of embarrassment that is often felt in relation to experiencing a mental illness.

Stigma and marginalisation is often caused by a lack of education and misunderstanding towards a certain group of people.
A strategy that may be useful to reduce marginalisation involving mental illness is community-based education. If appropriate education is provided for a topic we have prejudices towards due to misinformation or a lack of understanding, the opportunity may arise for people to change their perspective once becoming correctly informed.

Another thing that plays a large role in the continuation of marginalisation of mental health in Australia is the media. With the media playing a very influential role in all our lives, the way those experiencing psychiatric concerns are portrayed particularly on television often brings across a very destructive image and an idea surrounding mental health which can be quite