The health and welfare of Australia?s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples 1999

Abstract

Discusses the mental health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people by taking into account the historical context and social and cultural frameworks in which these people live. It is stated that, in order to understand Aboriginal mental health and the factors that influence it, this background of history and its present manifestations, as well as these people's own concepts of mental health, must be taken into account. Early attempts at understanding whether mental disorders occurred among Aboriginal people, driven by curiosity about the ways in which indigenous people lived their lives, are discussed. Recent and more collaborative studies examining mental health, mental health problems, and behavioral difficulties, are presented. It is stated that throughout these studies, and identified in reports of Aboriginal people themselves, separations, trauma, grief, loss of culture, and ongoing effects of poverty, discrimination, and racism are central. Significant efforts made to address these issues are described, including the National Aboriginal Health Policy framework. ((c) 1999 APA/PsycINFO, all rights reserved)