Decolonising mental illness: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ Social and Emotional Wellbeing and the persistence of colonial discourses in policy

Abstract

AbstractRates of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ suicide and the concerns over experiences of mental “ill” health are increasing. In recent years, this has caused contestation over approaches to “health” that seek to address this. Within this context, Social and Emotional Wellbeing, a holistic, decolonising approach to health, has ascended in Australian health policy. This paper applies a Foucauldian‐inspired discourse analysis, using his theoretical framework of power, knowledge and discourse, to four Australian policy documents associated with addressing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ Social and Emotional Wellbeing and “mental health”. Findings reveal aspects of the Social and Emotional Wellbeing discourse having presence in the policy documents. Its understanding, however, is constrained by a cultural and institutional context that privileges and perpetuates a biomedical lens. Additionally, there is a failure to address systemic neo‐colonialism even while acknowledging that health disparities stem from colonialism. As such, this paper argues that, although integration of Social and Emotional Wellbeing has commenced in these policy documents, the hegemony of colonial discourses persists. This is along with a lack of policy reference in these documents for coordinated activity across social institutions and structures to address holistic demands.