‘I think we're getting a bit clinical here’: A qualitative study of professionals' experiences of providing mental healthcare to young people within an Australian rural service

Abstract

This paper contributes to scholarship on the medicalisation of mental health support for young people through a case study of a multidisciplinary mental health service in rural Australia. All staff (n = 13) working at the service participated in semi-structured, individual interviews. Transcripts of interview data were read and selectively coded and interpreted in relation to the overarching question of how participants view and experience mental health care provision to a diverse range of young people. Following analytical reflection, codes pertaining to engagement, accessibility and care provision were re-examined using the concept of medicalisation to understand the biomedical underpinnin..