Governing failed neoliberal subjects: Representations of women's mental health in Australian mental health policies.

This paper uses Carol Bacchi's 'What's the problem represented to be?' (WPR) framework to explore representations of women's mental health in federal and South Australian mental health policies. It argues that mental health policies govern women through neoliberal discourses that individualise menta...

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Publicado en:Qualitative Social Work Vol. 24; no. 1; pp. 61 - 78
Autores principales: O'Connor, Caitlin Angela, Zufferey, Carole, de Anstiss, Helena
Formato: research Journal Article
Publicado: Sage Publications Inc. Jan2025
Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
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      dt: Jan2025
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      pub: Sage Publications Inc.
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        atl: Governing failed neoliberal subjects: Representations of women's mental health in Australian mental health policies.
      aug:
        au:
          O'Connor, Caitlin Angela
          Zufferey, Carole
          de Anstiss, Helena
        affil: Department of Justice and Society, 1067 University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA, Australia
      sug:
        subj:
          Health Policy Australia
          Mental Health
          Women Psychosocial Factors
          Government
          Mental Health Services
          Human
          Australia
          Female
          Conceptual Framework
          Qualitative Studies
          Content Analysis
          Policy Studies
          Health Inequities
          Social Workers
          Social Work
          Program Implementation
          Public Policy
          Female
      ab: This paper uses Carol Bacchi's 'What's the problem represented to be?' (WPR) framework to explore representations of women's mental health in federal and South Australian mental health policies. It argues that mental health policies govern women through neoliberal discourses that individualise mental health and illness while neglecting the social structural factors which significantly influence mental health outcomes and health equity. In a 'self-monitoring' neoliberal society, people are increasingly required to seek medical and pharmaceutical intervention to promote ideal personhoods, with women overrepresented in this group. The disciplinary power of the medicalisation discourse categorises women as either ideal or failed neoliberal subjects. This is concerning for social workers because neoliberal and medicalisation discourses shape how women's mental health is represented in policy and responded to in practice. This paper challenges biomedical and neoliberal discourses underpinning policy representations and identifies the implications for social work and social policy.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype:
        research
        Journal Article
      ougenre: Article
    language: English
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