Governing failed neoliberal subjects

Representations of women’s mental health in Australian mental health policies

Datos Bibliográficos

ID21724389
AutoresCaitlin Angela O'Connor (University of South Australia), Carole Zufferey (0000-0001-9610-7168, University of South Australia, autor de correspondencia), Helena De Ansti (0000-0001-6451-3137, University of South Australia)
Año2025
Volumen24
Número1
Páginas61-77
Fecha de publicación2025-01-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaQualitative Social Work (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 1473-3250 • E-ISSN: 1741-3117
EditorialSAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/14733250231222020
OpenAlexW4390112977
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas1
Referencias citadas40

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

Medicalization · Mental health · Mental illness · Middle Eastern Mental Health Issues & Syndromes · Political science · Psychiatry · Public health · Social science · Sociology · Gender Studies · Healthcare innovation and challenges · Law · Medicine · Mental Health and Patient Involvement · Nursing · Psychology · Social Policy and Reform Studies · Health Policy