Ten per cent of participants in the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) have psychosocial disability as their primary diagnosis. This makes them the fourth largest group in the Scheme.
But the term ‘psychosocial disability’ can be misunderstood or confusing to those who’ve never heard of it. So, what does it mean?
An internationally recognised term under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, psychosocial disability refers to the disabling impact of poor mental health and the barriers it may present in relation to a person’s ability to function, think clearly, stay physically healthy, and handle the social and emotional aspects of life.
As with many other hidden disabilities, the fact psychosocial disability can’t be seen means those with it often face challenges when it comes to getting supports and removing barriers to everyday life.
We spoke with Danni Bament, Managing Director of Aspire Recovery Connection, to learn more about psychosocial disability and the positive impact the NDIS has on those with it.
According to Danni, people can be described as having a psychosocial disability when they have a mental health diagnosis and experience barriers to participation in society.
“It’s the experiences that people have in and around their mental health diagnosis – not the diagnosis itself – that lead to the label of psychosocial disability,” says Danni.
According to NSW Health, psychosocial disability may restrict a person’s ability to:
The organisation says a psychosocial disability arises when someone with a mental health condition interacts with a social environment that presents barriers to their equality with others.
In this article, authored by Frank Quinlan, former Chief Executive Officer of the Mental Health Council of Australia, in the early days of the NDIS, he wrote of psychosocial disability in the context of the ‘social consequences of disability’, or the effect of mental ill-health on a person’s ability to participate fully in life.
“Those affected are prevented from engaging in opportunities such as education, training, cultural activities, and achieving their goals and aspirations,” he wrote.
“Not everyone with a mental illness will have a level of impairment that will result in a psychosocial disability.
“It’s also important to remember that there is a strong focus on a recovery orientation in mental health, as different levels of mental ill-health are variable and not permanent.”
Danni says being recognised as having psychosocial disability is important for obtaining access to a number of services and supports in Australia – including the NDIS, which she says has made a significant difference in the area of mental health.
“Prior to the NDIS, many people with psychosocial disability were getting little or no support,” says Danni. “The NDIS has significantly improved that, in addition to giving people more autonomy over which services they access.”
The NDIS can provide access to recovery coaches and other supports that can assist participants to:
A recovery coach is an NDIS-funded worker with mental health knowledge who’ll spend time with participants, get to know them and understand their needs, and help them to better understand the NDIS and find different services and supports. A recovery coach may have their own lived experience of mental health and recovery and use this experience to inform their work.
Find out more about recovery coaches in this article.
Danni says most people with psychosocial disability benefit from access to a recovery coach with lived experience, someone who can offer connection and support to help people navigate their recovery.
“Drawing on our own experiences means we can more deeply understand and hold space for others,” says Danni. “We can share learnings from our own healing and equally learn from those we support, offering hope for a better future and role modelling the path to recovery that we’re journeying along.”
We asked Danni how a person with a mental health diagnosis can gain access to the NDIS, and whether there’s a roadmap.
“You’ll need evidence that it’s had substantial impact on the quality of your life and that it limits your ability to participate in society in a way that’s meaningful to you,” says Danni.
“This evidence can be hard to get, especially if a person doesn’t have a regular psychiatrist or psychologist. If you do, asking them to write a report to support your NDIS application is essential.
“Functional capacity assessments from an occupational therapist definitely help, but these can be expensive for people without NDIS funding.”
Danni says the best place to start is contacting a Local Area Coordinator to commence an NDIS application.
She says she’d like to see more progress towards understanding psychosocial disability in the context of a social model that says disability is caused by the way society is organised, not by a person's impairment or difference.
“When we better align this model with an understanding of psychosocial disability, we’ll understand that unusual thoughts, feelings and experiences that many people living with a psychosocial disability may have, are part of a normal human experience,” says Danni.
“We’d no longer fear or discriminate against people with such experiences and instead afford them the same opportunities in all aspects of society as everyone else.
“I’m positive that we’re moving towards this as a society and hopeful of a brighter future.”
31 October 2024
