Neo-liberalism, community care and Australian mental health policy

Abstract

This paper examines key documents from the Australian National Mental Health Strategy and explores the extent to which they reflect neo-liberal ideals. It argues, through discourse analysis of policy documents, that the families of the mentally ill have been reconstructed as a key source of informal care. The development of ‘community care’ and ‘informal care’ in Australian policy documents reflect a neo-liberal understanding of the individual and their family, one that views the family as an autonomous unit responsible for its own maintenance. This orientation creates a moral imperative upon the families of the mentally ill to adopt a caring role, conversely allowing for increasing regulation of the family by professional carers through the creation of formal mechanisms for carer involvement in provision of mental health services and the codification of carers’ rights and responsibilities in the Mental Health Statement of Rights and Responsibilities.

Key Words:

• National Mental Health Strategy
• neo-liberalism
• community care
• mental illness
• governmentality
• discourse analysis