The CONSUMER JOURNeY

The Lived Experience of Mental Health

The lived experience of mental health is the association of events in one's past to influence one's experience of living with, rehabilitating from or recovering from one's mental health condition. A person with the lived experience of mental health has used and/or is using mental health programs or services. Many factors lead to one's lived experience of mental health.

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• Family History

• Pregnancy, Birth Conditions & Birth Traumas

• Cultural Background

• History of Physical Health

• Psychiatric History

• History of Trauma, Violence &/or Aggression

• History of Psychosis

• History of Mental Distress, Vulnerabilities or Neglect

• History of Disability

• Previous Living Arrangements

• Significant Life Events or Crisis 

• Educational History

• Employment History

• Childhood Memories & Past Relationships

• Previous use of drugs, alcohol & or Addiction

• Previous Self-harm

• Marital History

• History of Intimate Relationships

• Relationships with Sibling or Children

• Criminal History

CARERS

Carers are people who provide unpaid care and support to family members and friends who have a disability, mental illness, chronic condition, terminal illness, an alcohol or other drug issue or who are frail aged. Carers both provide support, and require support so that they are capable of caring for another. Whatever the personal relationship, it is important to acknowledge that caring for someone living with a mental illness can be a demanding and often isolating experience. 

A support network is the web of help, support, assistance, attention, treatment & care that enhances an individual's health, rehabilitation, recovery & development.

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• Crisis & Emergency Support

• Emergency Relief

• Personal Support Network: family members, carers, peer support, support groups, social support as well as cultural support

• Rehabilitation in the Community: physical and mental rehabilitation as well as counselling and advice

• Recovery in the Community: recovery services, community support services, welfare and disability support, education support services, employment, work and volunteering, financial support, housing & accommodation, in-home support as well as respite support 

Personal Support Network

Peer Support

Peer support is the sharing of the lived experience of mental health to provide support and assistance where needed. Peer support is in integral part of the recovery journey in mental health that is not based on psychiatric models and diagnostic criteria but about understanding another’s situation empathically through the shared experience. Peer support is based on mutual experience and understanding where people are able to 'be' with each other without the constraints of traditional expert/patient relationship.

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• Peer Supporters

• Peer Workers

• Peer Support

• Peer Mentoring

• Peer Coaching

• Peer Consultation

• Peer Resources

PROMOTION, PREVENTION & EARLY INTERVENTION

Promotion, prevention and early intervention is an array of strategies to minimise the impact of mental illness in settings such as schools, to identify problems early, intervene effectively, reduce 
significant risk factors and promote protective factors. These services include:

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• Public Health

• Population Health

• Health Promotion

• Baby & Infant Mental Health

• Early Intervention Psychosis

• School & Family Based Intervention

• The Management of Chronic or Recurring Illness

• Youth Mental Health

• Demographic & Epidemiological Profiles

Crisis & Emergency Care 

A mental health emergency is a life threatening situation in which an individual is imminently threatening harm to self or others, severely disorientated or out of touch with reality, has a severe inability to function, or is otherwise distraught and out of control. A range of services can be provided at this time including:

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• Public Hospital - Acute Mental Health In-Patient Unit

• Private Hospital

• Psychiatric Emergency Care Centre (PECC Units)

• Older Personal Specialist Mental Health Units

• High Dependency Units

• Emergency Department

• Triage and Assessment Centres

• Emergency Relief

A hospital is a psychiatric inpatient unit that provide care and support to patients who require the treatment of mental health issues and monitoring of their behavior. There are many aspects that are a required for the continuity of the hospital journey.

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• Assessment & Triage

• Admission Process

• Individual Care Plan

• Treatment, Care & Therapy

• Case Notes & Review

• Discharge Planning

The Hospital Journey

Transition in the Community

Transitional care are all after-care those services that help people reintegrate back into the community following a hospital stay. Services include:

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• Transitional Care Programs

• Hospital 2 Home

• Case Management

• Support Facilitation

• Care Coordination

• Transitional Accommodation

• Sub-Acute Facilities

• Health Assessments

• Functional Assessment

Rehabilitation in the Community

Rehabilitation is the process of restoring one's physical and mental functioning after a mental illness. 

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• Physical Rehabilitation:

• Mental Rehabilitation

• Counselling

• Medication

• Stress Management

• Anger Management

Recovery in the Community

Mental health recovery is the process of retaining personal identity, meaning, purpose and autonomy in life in an attempt for someone with a mental reintegrating back into the community.  It is a process towards an individual regaining control in their self-care, self-management, self-determination and the decisions that influence their lives.

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• Community Support Services

• Recovery Services

• Disability Support Services

• Money & Financial Assistance

• Welfare & Benefits

• Education, Training & Capacity Building

• Employment & Volunteer Support Services

• Housing & Accommodation

• In-Home Support 

• Respite Services

Consumer leadership are all those capacity building opportunities to represent & advocate for other consumers as part of the mental health consumer movement

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• Peer Work

• Committees

• Advisory Groups

• Involvement in Organisational Governance & Evaluation

• Consumer & Carer Advocacy Groups

• Systematic Advocacy

• Leadership Conferences

• Co-Design & Co-Facilitation

• Consumer Participation in Research

• Consumer-Led Research

• Mental Health Academics

• Mental Health Awareness Campaigns

• Anti-Stigma Campaigns

• Consumer-Led Organisations

CONSUMER Leadership

Individual Care Plan

The individual care plan that summarises the strategies and pathways an individual aims in the rehabilitation, recovery & leadership opportunities of the community. Aspects of an individual care creates:

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• Diagnosis

• Mental Health Plan

• Treatment Plan

• Medication Management & Review

• Disability Planning (e.g. NDIS)

• Capacity Plan

• Advance Statement & Future Care Plan

• Education Pathway Plan

• Employment Pathway Plan

• Needs Assessment

• Action Plan

Physical Rehabilitation

Physical rehabilitation is an array of programs and services to restore functional ability & quality of life to those with physical impairments or disabilities. All people with mental will also have some degree of physical problems associated with their mental illnesses and co-morbidity. Physical rehabilitation can come from:

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•  Medication 

• Sexual Health

• Men's Health

• Women's Health

• Pain Management

• Gyms 

• Multidisciplinary Medical Teams

• Allied Health Teams

• Physical Well-Being Teams

• Therapists & Practitioners

• Pharmacies

• Posture & Movement Practitioners 

Mental Rehabilitation

Mental rehabilitation the process of restoring one's psychiatric, psychosocial, mental and community functioning and wellbeing to imrpove one's mental distress when one has suffered a psychiatric disorder, emotional distress or mental illness.  

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• Psychiatrist

• Psychologist, Psychotherapists & Other Psychological Therapies

• Councellors

• The Hospital Team

• Multidisciplinary Community Health Team

Counselling & advice services that play a role in informing, recommending and making suggestions about the best course of action to someone a consumer. These services include:

• General Counselling

• Child & Adolescent Counselling

• Marital & Couples Counselling

• Drug & Alcohol Counselling

• Life Coaching

• Family Support Services

• Financial Counselling & Medication

• Disability Advocacy Services

• Legal Information & Advice

• Conflict Management

• Information & Referral Services

• Career Advises

Counselling & Advice

Lifestyle

Lifestyle is all the activities one participates in daily life. The aspects of one's lifestyle related to mental health include:

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• Exercise & Fitness Regime

• Diet

• Sleeping Pattern

• Self-care

• Day-Time Activities

• Night-Time Activities

• Leisure & recreation

• Sporting Activities

• Mind Control Activities

• Relaxation & Down-time