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School mental health promotion: MindMatters as an example of mental health reform
Author(s) -
Rowling Louise
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
health promotion journal of australia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.515
H-Index - 32
eISSN - 2201-1617
pISSN - 1036-1073
DOI - 10.1071/he07229
Subject(s) - mental health , health promotion , public health , health policy , public relations , promotion (chess) , population health , nexus (standard) , medicine , health education , mental health literacy , stigma (botany) , nursing , economic growth , political science , politics , mental illness , psychiatry , computer science , law , economics , embedded system
Issue addressed Mental health promotion and prevention have been key reform agendas for Australia's national mental health strategies for more than 15 years. Several important paradigmatic shifts have occurred within this reform as a result of the public health and mental health nexus. Method A historical review of the development and implementation of MindMatters is used to exemplify the changes and outcomes of shifting policy and practice in school mental health promotion. Results Achievements include a conceptualisation of mental health as a positive concept, addressing stigma, building capacity in the education sector and developing evaluation strategies to address complex, whole‐school change. Key challenges have included professional paradigmatic differences and political and practical difficulties in nationally funded projects. Conclusion Quality school mental health promotion practices of creating supportive environments, taking a population health approach and working in settings and across sectors have been achieved to enhance the mental health of Australian secondary school communities. So what? It is essential to capitalise and strengthen the existing systemic collaboration between sectors nationally, and to maintain the public health approaches of a population health perspective with work on the broader determinants of mental health and a focus on capacity building for systems and structures.