Mental Health
Shit! Who knew you could catch Tourette’s Syndrome online?
Well you, can’t, not really. But you may be able to ‘catch’ similar symptoms from friends in the real world, or through social media.
A group of young cheerleaders who started twitching and spasming uncontrollably are at the centre of a recent high-profile case of ‘mass hysteria’. And an expert in mass hysteria and moral panics says such outbreaks will become more common in Australia as we connect more with people through the interwebs.
Continue reading "Mass hysteria, monkey men, and penis panics" »
Progressive Christianity is alive and well. It hasn’t yet got much of a toe-hold in the Australian imagination. But it will. Why? Because the old language of dogma doesn’t speak to people anymore.
Spiritual needs have changed, the church hasn’t, and people have voted with their feet.
I wrote Being Gay Being Christian to say that the Christian church’s traditional teachings on gay sexuality are wrong, harmful and unjust. I also wrote it to encourage gay people of faith that their sexuality does not preclude them from having a faith in God.
Continue reading "Modern Christians can trump Bible thumping fundies" »
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E says:
@fml “No it’s because they want the state to recognise them and the christian’s are fighting to keep them unrecognised.” Well said!! Read more »
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E says:
@fml “No it’s because they want the state to recognise them and the christian’s are fighting to keep them unrecognised.” Well said!! Read more »
If the humanity of a nation can be measured by the way it looks after its soldiers returning from war, then the United States has been found seriously wanting.
With a military tradition that stretches back to the Civil War, it beggars belief that after each conflict, lessons have to be relearned about the mental trauma of war – not only how it affects soldiers and their families, but society as a whole.
In 2007, I travelled to the US to report for SBS television show Dateline on America’s forgotten soldiers – men and women deeply troubled by post-traumatic stress who were slipping through the cracks of a bureaucracy failing to provide the support they needed to adjust to life away from the battlefield.
Continue reading "Are we prepared for our soldiers’ return?" »
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Carol says:
Al @ 26/4, Just what do any of your puerile comments have to do with this issue? I’ll ask again what % of ADF personnell face gun fire? For that matter what % leave these shores? Just how does the minimum wage get into this discussion? I’d go so far… Read more »
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Al says:
Carol “Surely you both have missed the real point.” If everyone else is in step and you are not, you’re the individual that has missed the point. “These people made their own choice, that get paid for what they do.” So you would do it for the minimum wage would… Read more »
The sight of a famous person crumbling is irresistible. People love to see the mighty fallen, to gloat over leaked video of people falling over drunk, or falling over sober, for that matter.
We enjoyed watching time-lapse video of Lindsay Lohan degenerating, we sucked up the pictures of Michael Jackson’s face falling apart. Botched plastic surgeries, beauties without makeup, celebrities getting fat.
But there is a point at which you’ve gotta tuck your schadenfreude back in your shorts and that’s when mental illness seems to be the problem. Then it’s just pathetic, in the true sense of the word.
Continue reading "Gibson: Is it time to take pity on the racist potty mouth?" »
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Jack says:
http://sixmillionmyth.blogspot.com.au/p/six-million-myth.html I suppose all this is BS too. Read more »
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Mark/Fox says:
Do we we give pity to the druggo Greens because they hate Australia and its culture? No, so why should we pity Mel. Read more »
Down your beers, out-drink and out-fight your mates. Get smashed on the weekends and impress every second chick you meet at a club. Be emotionless, aggressive and show no weakness.
This tough Aussie bloke image has led a dominant social construction of manliness in Australia and sends a message that men don’t and shouldn’t struggle with stress, get depression, anxiety or any mental health issues. But if you do, the antidote to that is a bucket full of cement and some “hardening the f—k up” and she’ll be ‘right.
We’re a nation so obsessed with demanding our blokes be “bullet proof” that it is literally killing us. For many, suicide is an easier option than admitting that you’re having a tough time and need a bit of help.
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Jason Todd says:
Yep, you can heft 20kgs with one hand. An Aus post worker probably can too, but they also have to do it all day, with packages of all sizes, shifting loads etc. It’s not really a comparison. It is a genuine OH&S hazard for them because they do it all… Read more »
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Ali says:
Pork, you sounds exactly like my Dad. I stole money, destroyed property and told him to Fck off because he was completley unreasonable and had no idea what it was like to be a 13 year-old teenager - remember your daughter is actually not yet an adult and you need… Read more »
There has been a lot of bad press about police use of Tasers (or electronic control devices) by police. The recent death of Roberto Laudisio has brought it back to the headlines and numerous pieces have been written about it.
As a serving police officer I feel it is necessary to clear up a lot of what has been written as they are factually incorrect. I won’t go into this incident in any depth as it is under investigation, but the purpose of this article is to help clear up a lot of misconceptions about the use of the X-26.
Firstly: The Taser was introduced as a replacement for police using their firearms: This is incorrect.
Continue reading "A cop tells: the not-so-shocking truth about Tasers" »
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Mark says:
This whole article absolutely wreaks of blame shifting. The only unknown in this situation is whether the taser killed him, or an underlying condition was brought on by the taser. So really, either way- it was the taser. The facts are, this man was killed as a result of a… Read more »
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josh says:
You lot are a bunch of fing sheep. “if you don’t run from police, you don’t get shot”, “why would you run from police unless you did something wrong”. Do you really believe this kid was running from the police because he didn’t want to get caught for stealing a… Read more »
At school, we’re taught plenty of specific ways about how to take care of ourselves physically. Exercise four times a week for at least 30 minutes - because it can be kinda fun to run around anyway. Drink, but don’t get plastered. Eat two fruit and five veg a day.
It’s all handy advice. Those principles go out the window sometimes, but if you’ve been taught them years ago in a classroom in the first place then you’re more likely to get back on track.
And we can often tell if we need to be taking better care of our bodies. There are telltale signs: stiffness from lack of exercise, tighter belts, beginning to resemble one of those exercise balls people do ab crunches on.
But it’s a lot more difficult to figure out when we’re not mentally healthy. We don’t know how to take care of our brains as well as we do our bodies.
Continue reading "A healthy head is just as important as a healthy heart" »
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PaxUs says:
Perhaps it’s the schools helping to create the mental health problems in the first instance? Bullying, lack of discipline, double standards, insecurity etc.. Certainly our society and culture must take an appropriate portion of the blame. I do agree with Lauren’s comment, however this isn’t merely a youth problem. The… Read more »
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PaxUs says:
Perhaps it’s the schools helping to create the mental health problems in the first instance? Bullying, lack of discipline, double standards, insecurity etc.. Certainly our society and culture must take an appropriate portion of the blame. I do agree with Lauren’s comment, however this isn’t merely a youth problem. The… Read more »
Neil Watkins is a sex addict and an acclaimed performer. His play – The Year of Magical Wanking – has been called beguiling and poetic, intense, funny, and astonishingly brave.
“I am Neil Martin Watkins and I am a sex and love-addicted innocent.” That’s how I begin my autobiographical monologue about my sexual shame as a result of growing up in Catholic Ireland.
Of course, it was all just the norm then. An altar to Mary and Jesus on the window sill. A holy water font in the hall. Our mother anointed us every morning before school.
Continue reading "My name is Neil Watkins and I am a sex addict" »
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St. Michael says:
Again, I don’t think I can give you a concrete answer to this—and nor should I, I’ve not studied theology, philosophy, or psychology for decades. What might be of relevance is that Rohr seems to observe that human consciousness can exist on a continuum: at one end, the purely instinctual,… Read more »
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stephen says:
I appreciate your response to my points. But there is only one convergence or conflation, (to take up my earlier point) that flumoxxes me : and that is to do with individual responsibility, - with pride, personal endeavour, and self-knowledge - with the greater social force of a responsibility to… Read more »
It’s a puzzling paradox that while people with mental illnesses are still battling stigma, the ‘worried well’ will gleefully embrace the latest on-trend disorder.
Do you have to triple check that you switched the stove off? OCD! Wake up worrying about the day ahead? Anxiety! A surfeit of pouty Facebook pics? Narcissistic!
In dazzling displays of psychobabble savvy, we also fling diagnoses at bosses, at politicians, at friends. She’s probably a psychopath. He’s got Asperger’s. They’re anally retentive. Or expulsive. Or something.
Continue reading "Relax - you’re not depressed. It’s all in your head." »
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P. Thornton says:
Years and years ago, when my skepticism regarding the diagnostic end of certain areas of our medical profession was first being developed, I, in the finest tradition of Mad Magazine, referred to ADD as Another Dumb Disorder. My opinion has not changed. I liken it to using the new electronic… Read more »
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Fiona says:
For me, mental illness has been an appropriate response to a world gone mad. True story. But the bigger tragedy is where people like me keep shtumm about our diagnonis of a mental illness and our eventual recovery from the heavy handedness, discrimination and stigma that is heaped upon us… Read more »
Australia has a long standing love affair with cannabis. More than half of us have tried it, 10 to 15 per cent smoke it at least once a day and five per cent of us love it so much, we find it hard to do anything else.
Our biggest problem is that we’re passing the habit on. Sixty per cent of young people use it. And they’re starting young; more Australian 12 year olds have tried it than cigarettes.
In other words, dope is getting to kids so quick and none of the people supplying it to them are identifying the considerable risks.
Continue reading "The biggest dopes are the parents giving kids pot" »
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Sama0 says:
How a number of good quality essentials presently there, may have learned some of which, and you may constantly get more info. I doubt the “kid” may possibly put together these data since dolphin278 indicated. Maybe he is just trying to be “controversial? lol no no hair removal reviews Read more »
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Thor says:
I keep reading about all these pot heads being contributing members of society… I think you guys are far and few between. I would love to compare those on welfare/dole bludgers vs working contributing members of society cannabis smoking ratio. Don’t even get me started on the mental health issues…… Read more »
People often say that kids these days are “digital savvy”. Those people are wrong.
Kids today are definitely “digital” – some Gen Zers (see above) are even confused why printed magazines don’t interact with them like iPads – but that doesn’t mean they’re “savvy”.
They might know how to use technology. But just like drugs, alcohol, sex and relationships, that doesn’t mean kids know how to use it in a way that’s safe and appropriate.
Continue reading "Kids are digital, but that doesn’t mean they’re savvy" »
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Waynevan says:
Saw a great cartoon recently where a dad is on the phone to his son and says “Don’t forget to tell mum” and the kid says “Ok”. Next scene dad has arrived home with pizza but mum has cooked dinner. Kid says “But dad, I tweeted, texted, facebooked and emailed… Read more »
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Kika says:
Could it BE that this is just another problem of the bubble-wrapped day care time-poor parent generation kids who have been stuck in front of a TV or a computer from as early as they can remember and have not ever realised, or better yet, been ALLOWED to explore the… Read more »
If Matthew Newton’s A Current Affair interview was his opening shot at public redemption, it was a misfire.
Both the actor and A Current Affair seemed to want the Australian public to swallow the troubled star’s “cathartic” TV tell-all and wave him off cheerfully on his road to professional rehabilitation.
But, there was one big thing lacking – free and easy use of the “s” word.
Continue reading "Sorry seems to be the hardest word for Matthew Newton" »
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anti bully says:
Hallelujah Read more »
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Heidi Mungoven (Loving wife of Bipolar sufferer) says:
If the media’s intention was to hold a loaded gun to Matthew’s head with the hope of getting an apology, then it was the media’s gun that misfired. Mental Illness already carries heavy stigma. Shame on you media. You should be raising awareness of this very dark disease known as… Read more »
One in five is a ratio that gets bandied around a lot when we talk about mental illness. It refers to a fifth of our population who experience it within a 12-month period.
When you stack that up it means almost half us between 16 and 85 encounter some kind of a mental disorder within our lifetime.
With those kinds of numbers it is impossible not to be touched by it in some way. It may not be obvious. It may be as subtle as the depressed friend who took stress leave from work or that drunk relative hiding something deeper.
Continue reading "Depression ain’t the only mental illness in town" »
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ts says:
@magpie sorry for the belated reply. thanks for the information and advice. she is current seeing a child psychologist and for the most part things are being controlled however there are good times and bad and the bad times can be very bad. and unfortunately it quite often occurs out… Read more »
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stephen says:
I think the relationship between smartness and mental illness is over stated. The smarties you mentioned were odd, and possibly only Schumann was clinically obtuse, (I defer to Van Gogh’s diagnosis - I’ve recently saved up and bought his ‘Letters’ - I don’t think he was mad) yet where we… Read more »
An email pinged into the inbox, asking if I could write a short blog for a new website – Mindshare – an online mental health community.
The email went to the ‘think about later’ folder. And I sort of did think about it later, but my mind kept skittering over the surface of it, like a beetle on a shiny floor. Touching it but leaving it untouched.
When that happens it’s because there’s something I’m a little bit afraid of. When I got a follow up email, I sighed and had a proper think about it. And what I thought was that I’m afraid of the language of mental health: I don’t want to write an opinion piece on it because the language is cold, and fills me with dismay. The language I know goes something like this: Mental health in crisis. Psychotic abandoned by failing system. Children with mental illness left years without treatment. Suicide cluster. Depression epidemic. Neglect. Danger.
Continue reading "Why it should be OK to tell a friend to take their meds" »
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Jailyn says:
I was so confused about what to buy, but this makes it undesrtadnalbe. Read more »
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Ashley says:
@ Stephen , well said. The comments and article on this thread are quite enlightening. Its a fine line between stability/sanity and a malaise of the psyche. And in some cases where people are labelled metally ill, the ’ are you sure its a ‘me’ problem ’ is a valid… Read more »
My illness is psychiatric in nature. It’s biological. It lurks in everybody’s genome, and is active in mine.
The name of my illness is weighty. It’s called Seasonally Affected Bi-polar Disorder 1. As opposed to the very brainy Stephen Fry, who reminds us of the severity of mine by calling his Bi-polar 2 (facetiously) Bi-Polar Lite.
An illness that slowly over the years, with many lengthy hospital stays, has become manageable. No longer visible to the naked eye, even. To the point that I work, study, raise a family and participate at all levels of the society as best I am able, good health permitting.
Continue reading "Sick folk subjected to a sick, terrifying mental health law" »
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Ariel says:
Kids going crazy in the silenced hell of Family Law So much has been spoken, written, filmed and broadcast about the mental health of men, youth, asylum seekers and others. But there is a deafening silence about what’s happening to children caught up in the damaging and cruel Family Law… Read more »
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solon says:
I believe the discussion is far off the actual subject yet.: - psychiatry has nothing yet; it is still looking for the first cured patient, by any means, which means psychiatristy are still excorcists with a license, - If I wanted to kill myself, it is not the government’s business… Read more »
A couple of months ago I was gallivanting around the UK on a holiday. One night I popped up to the apartment I was crashing at to grab my jacket when I heard a voice through the window from the road below.
“Come on darlin’, you don’t have to do this.” Across the road a woman had climbed up onto the third story of some scaffolding. She wasn’t particularly sober, she’d tied a noose around her neck and she was about to jump.
If today is a typical day, by the time you’ve hit the hay tonight nearly 178 Aussies will have attempted to end their lives. Seven would have gone through with it. It’s a national tragedy. And in some remote parts of Australia it’s just tragedy after tragedy after tragedy after tragedy.
Continue reading "In some parts of Australia, death comes far too easily" »
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rizal says:
@ Libéral : gbeoalemlnt OK sur votre premier point, et je serais même plus sévère encore. Les chiffres sur les suicides enregistrés à France Telecom – dont je ne minimise rien du drame, qu’on se le dise et la question n’est pas là pour l’instant – ne sont pas des… Read more »
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NESLIHAN KUROSAWA says:
Hi Daniel, Could it be that the indigenous community are living in very remote areas of Australia?? Then again, they have been living in those areas for centuries, right? Is it more about the fact that if it is our sights, it is out of our minds also!! Living on… Read more »
R U OK? Day is with us again today, challenging us to reach out to others with compassion. The R U OK? concept is simple but potentially profound for several reasons.
One in five Australians will personally experience clinical depression or a bipolar disorder over their lifetime. If not touched personally, we encounter the so-called Black Dog through family members, partners, close friends or work colleagues.
Despite being common, mental illness is still stigmatised, perhaps reflecting our innate tendency to reject anything that is ‘not us’ or to view depression as a character flaw.
Continue reading "Make coffee. Check email. Ask workmates if they’re OK" »
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Murfomurf says:
On R U OK? Day I was quite conscious of what it meant so I contacted my friends and several dozen online acquaintances. As I know I am definitely NOT OK myself, I wondered if anyone would spontaneously ask if I was OK. No one did, although I had two… Read more »
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fairsfair says:
v. true Tubs, but I have to say, I have never come across a person who has no family or friends. I know that they are out there, but I have not worked in close proximity to such a person. I am a bit like adam in a sense that… Read more »
Mental health surveys consistently show that around one in five of us will experience an episode of significant distress and dysfunction in any year. It saddens me that this suffering is mostly labelled as mental disorder and that we are encouraged to seek medical treatment for it.
No one likes suffering, but to suffer meaninglessly is worse. We should therefore strive to help people make sense of their distress; instead contemporary psychiatric practice is to rob actions and experiences of their meaning by applying simplistic labels and glib biological explanations.
Of course biological understanding can impart meaning, sometimes dramatically.
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narelle says:
well its good to see that NO-ONE here actually had a mental illness or know ANYTHING about it…but are willing to spout bs anyway…being sad and being depressed…are 2 TOTALLY different fking things!!! also when medicated women find it easier to adress major issues…such as abuse…i know this because i… Read more »
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Anne Stocks says:
One good thing is that not many people have a medical certific saying their normal, I need to frame mine and hang it somewhere to remind me when I feel anything but normal, that I am, because they said so. Even though they thought I had Bipolar and at times… Read more »
The statistics are shocking. One in four Aussie teenagers between the ages of 16-24 suffers from a mental or behavioural disorder; 6500 children are using anti-depressants. And that’s just a snapshot of the For Kids’ Sake study.
But the study, commissioned by The Australian Christian Lobby and led by Professor Parkinson of University of Sydney, is wrong to blame the modern family.
The research that was unveiled yesterday was fully funded by the Vos Foundation, a Tasmanian construction company that says it’s “committed to biblical values”. It makes some significant and simplistic assumptions about modern society and the explanations for its so-called “breakdown”.
Continue reading "For kids’ sake don’t blame the modern family" »
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Janessa says:
Articles like these put the consumer in the driver seat-very imoprtant. Read more »
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NESLIHAN KUROSAWA says:
Hi Lucy, May be the actual problem lies in the fact that the young generation these days, might confuse the idea of having fun & relaxing, by doing everything in excess, which can be very deceiving. Most young kids simply want to be acknowledged & supported by their loved ones!! … Read more »
Of all the sick and creepy subcultures that flourish on the internet, few are more disturbing than the pro-ana websites devoted to the celebration of anorexia - not as a mental illness but a lifestyle choice.
There are dozens of these shocking sites. Some of them are big-production numbers with well-designed photo galleries of scrawny models and external links to websites selling food substitutes and appetite suppressants.
Many of them are just sad little blogs by individual women who diarise their battle with their own body and share tips on how best to emaciate themselves.
Continue reading "Time to ban the sickos that celebrate anorexia" »
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Willbefitandhealthysoon says:
I am big boned and have no thyroid gland and although it makes it difficult for me to lose weight, it’s no excuse that I am size 14 going on 16 when I used to be a size 12 with proper diet and exercise and that size was ideal for… Read more »
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fiona says:
Why must people constantly bring up obesity in this discussion? It’s about pro-anorexia. Yes there are feeder sites and (usually) women trying to achieve the most massive weight they can (Donna Simpson for one, though she is now turning their hand to weigh loss) But are there thousands of obese-wannabes… Read more »
There’s been a long-standing, slightly confused and often-broken taboo on reporting suicides. Many believe – perhaps without basis – that just talking about suicide could lead to ‘copycats’. But all the important players agree that it should be discussed, and today the Australian Press Council has released new standards for media coverage of suicides. The Punch spoke to Press Council chair Julian Disney about the changes and what he hopes they’ll achieve.
Q. What’s changed?
A. There was a Senate inquiry that gathered evidence from a number of perspectives and found the Mindframe guidelines should be reviewed – and we thought we should review ours as well. In particular that related to whether there was a feeling in the media that discussion of suicide was taboo. Our guidelines never said that (it should be taboo), and the Mindframe ones didn’t either.
Continue reading "Punch Q & A: When is it OK for the media to discuss suicide?" »
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NitsPactsit says:
Hello everyone, I’m fairly new to here, therefore Hi! Read more »
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Affinains says:
Choosing the right technology, the construction of a spiritless diet is one of the most respected decisions that will look the arrival and character of the house. In the action of log homes (domy z bali), upland and outside walls can be left in its real construction, as artistically… Read more »
Kat Armstrong was a heroin addict, disowned by her only daughter and serving a prison sentence of ten years.
Vulnerable to relapse, with no support, no money, no home and no skills, her biggest challenge was returning to the real world.
Clean for eight years, reunited with her daughter and mentoring other women inmates all over NSW, Armstrong’s journey is exceptional. The fact that she’s still alive is amazing.
Continue reading "Do the crime, do the time. So where’s the long-term fix?" »
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Carolyn says:
Yours are good suggestions. If you’re interested in prisoners and what might make a positive impact on them, you might be interested in The 4th Annual National Prisoner’s Family Conference, to be held in Albuquerque next February, See http://www.solutionsforelpaso.org or check Prisoners Family Conference on Facebook for details. Read more »
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Primy says:
By my count Bob 66, that’s eleven people who have been reached by you. You may never know it, probably won’t, but there may be ripples running out of your story/life that reaches other people and makes a difference. We have read your thoughts, and we have been moved enough… Read more »
When 14 year old Philip attempted to commit suicide with a drug overdose, it was not a surprise to some teachers and students, but it was still a shock to most.
He’d been rather quiet and serious of late, but was a bit like that anyway. One teacher said later that he had thought, after one particularly sullen period, of suggesting a talk with someone but never found a chance.
Suzie’s distress was more obvious. She had been seen crying with her friends on several occasions, but still seemed to be keeping up with work and participating. No one was aware that at home her mother was seriously ill with cancer.
Continue reading "Most school chaplains are dangerously unqualified" »
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Chris says:
Lisa, I think they are experts because their sample size of 50 respondents demonstrates a statistically siginficant amount of the population think they are the gurus Read more »
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Harquebus says:
@impossible soul. Using binary trees for the number of ancestors. Excluding myself from the tree because, I can’t be an ancestor to myself, leaves me with two trees. Mother and father. Excluding parents leaves me with four trees starting at grandparents. Waddya rekon. Sound good? Read more »
The case of magistrate Jennifer Betts, who explained to the NSW Parliament Wednesday how a mental illness was central to the behaviour that has put her job on the line, is a cautionary tale for workplaces everywhere.
Mental health issues are as prevalent in the workplace as their complexities are poorly understood by senior management.
Ms Betts, 55, has asked MPs not to discriminate against her because of a depressive illness. Only parliament can dismiss an appointed magistrate.
Continue reading "Magistrate’s mental health issue a cautionary tale" »
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Trent W. Jackson says:
The future looks like this, if we are to consider this protocol. Yes your Worship, it is true that my client committed first-degree murder, but a number of doctors on my PAYROLL have all diagnosed my client with schizophrenia through opinion-based analysis, and they feel that there will not be… Read more »
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Trent W. Jackson says:
Moreover – one needs to try putting themselves in another person’s shoes for a moment. Most people’s attitudes are usually the end result of much reason. It is perfectly normal for a person to express anger and other emotions in most walks of life. Defensive mechanisms, which switch ON are… Read more »
In July last year, the South Australian Coroner Mark Johns called for suicide statistics to be published alongside the road toll. Since that time, just over 100 South Australians have died on the state’s roads. More than 180 South Australians have killed themselves.
Despite Mr Johns’ call, suicide statistics remain unpublished. The topic by and large remains taboo. And desperate people keep taking their own lives because their mental illness isn’t properly treated, or because friends and family don’t have the confidence or the skills to raise this most delicate of subjects.
As a community, we’ve got to stop being so squeamish about suicide. It’s the single biggest cause of death for Australian females aged 15-34 and males 15-44. Latest statistics show that 2130 Australians took their own lives in 2009, compared to 1417 road deaths for the year and 1837 from skin cancer.
Continue reading "Silence on suicide does more harm than good" »
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Amy says:
Hi, Leh, my fellow human being! I am Amy. Although I have never met you nor spoken to you, but I can imagine the intense agony and sorrows that you are going through. I am “so so sorry that you are going through what you are going through!” It must… Read more »
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Ozymandius says:
As a skilled and experienced IT professional who has been driven into depression by my employer, this is exactly right. There is nothing else in my life to explain why I feel these things. It is all purely the result of my workplace and the culture of competition to the… Read more »
The recent Federal budget has underlined the fact that mental ill-health is the major health issue facing Australians in the early part of the 21st century.
Responding to the reality that Australians now regard mental health among the top three national concerns, just behind the economy and climate change, all sides of politics now support substantial growth in investment in mental health care.
The Gillard Government allocated $2.2 billion as a decent down payment in a tight budget on mental health reform, crucially beginning to build strength in early intervention models for young people, who bear the main burden of onset for the major mental disorders of adult life.
Continue reading "The Government’s thrown the black dog a bone" »
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Jordan Rastrick says:
“with the poor people addicted to prescription drugs” Most prescribed substances used to treat mental illness are not addictive. “without any improvement” Scientific controlled studies indicate otherwise, with the possible exception of drugs being used to treat mild cases of depression and anxiety, which may indeed be indistinguishable from placebo.… Read more »
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Jordan Rastrick says:
Only when most seriously depressed. I’m not saying cures are impossible in theory, nor that some people don’t recover more or less completely and permanently from mental ill health. And you certainly don’t need to be cured for your life to be worth living. But it is a simple fact… Read more »
Many people in Australia live with a mental illness, and unfortunately, many think about suicide.
I know from personal experience.
I have depression and attempted suicide in 2005. I thank God every day that I did not complete my attempt, but I know exactly how real the risk of suicide is.
Continue reading "Suicide is a very real problem. I know. I tried it." »
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Julie says:
There is a program now funded through the government called “a mental health care plan”. Anyone can see their GP and they will assess your suitability for this and it is funded through Medicare. Good luck to you Dan. I too am seeing a psychologist for ways on how to… Read more »
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True Believer says:
@Judas Thank you for your post. I should have been more careful in my response. I know the behaviour of a few does not reflect the whole population of atheists/unbelievers. Having been one of the latter for many years I know what it is to have no knowledge or understanding… Read more »
Mental health advocates - including Patrick McGorry and SA coroner Mark Johns - have called for a public toll, similar to the road toll, to highlight suicides. Meanwhile, a spate of suicides - including the death of a doctor who was a mental health advocate - have renewed fears the sector is unable to cope. Lifeline and News Digital Media, publisher of The Punch, today announce a project that will help Australians access online, anonymous, confidential support.
With suicide being the leading cause of death for young Australians, you think that you’d find a plethora of information and support online to help those in crisis.
Suicide kills more Australians than road accidents each year. In 2008, 2191 people took their own lives, while the road toll was below 1450. These figures don’t include the tens of thousands more who attempt taking their own lives each year. Nor do these figures include the hundreds of thousands of people who are either bereaved or contemplating suicide, or both.
Continue reading "If you need to talk, there’s a Lifeline, online" »
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KristinGrimes says:
Some time ago, I really needed to buy a car for my organization but I didn’t have enough cash and couldn’t buy anything. Thank goodness my comrade adviced to take the business loans at reliable creditors. Hence, I acted that and used to be happy with my college loan. Read more »
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Chris says:
Have to admit, I also didn’t have a good experience when phoning Lifeline. They made an effort, but weren’t helpful. Increased my feelings of despair as was reaching out only to find no help. Advice- try someone else if you need help and don’t get it first try- no service… Read more »
Entrepreneur and philanthropist Simon McKeon succeeded Professor Patrick McGorry as Australian of the Year yesterday. Yet in the year of Professor McGorry’s reign, the Federal Labor Government has largely remained silent on the very issue McGorry was recognised for; mental health.
According to the most recent figures, 2,191 Australians took their own lives in 2008.
Statistics tell us at least ten times that - another 20,000 - were hospitalised for self harm or an attempt. And this is a conservative figure, with ongoing debate about discrepancies between ABS figures, and coroner and police reports.
Continue reading "Thousands of suicides show the system’s broken" »
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randapale says:
Unsere eigentliche Arbeit auf zwischen Umschreiben das wichtigste Handbuch , um Ihnen zu helfen 13 Arbeitsgruppen, welche die , die angegangen werden Störungen nach mit 20 Kategorien. Seine endgültigen Entwürfe schon immer durch schriftliche verursacht durch nach August, dann ist durch den Prozess der eine besondere und… Read more »
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ferlasiaryids says:
“The proposals outlined by way of the CFPB today will require careful study that would determine their possible impact on markets and then the benefit to successfully consumers,” said Steven Zeisel, vice president and after that general counsel designed for Consumer Bankers Association, the fact that represents list price banks.… Read more »
Our mental health priorities are seriously out of whack.
Australia’s mental health system is a shambles. It’s under-funded and plagued by bureaucracy and a lack of political will.
People in desperate need of help are slipping through the cracks, as bed numbers dive and community support fails to reel in the slack.
Continue reading "We need to keep the bigger issues in mind" »
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Andre says:
I’m not sure that the 8 or 9 hours of sleep is aabainttle when I’m on clinical rotations instead of research, though I keep striving for it:) And doing little things to get outside while it’s still warm is a great idea.The eating and exercise pieces are so hard… I… Read more »
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Luke says:
“It’s difficult to have a serious debate on the over-prescription of drugs. Part of this is because Scientology has ripped much credibility out of the argument with their rigid opposition to any sort of medication” Scientology has acted as champions to those who risk thier careers speaking against mind altering… Read more »
Andrew lived with mental illness and died in 2005.
Andrew had schizophrenia, but he did not die from this – he was stabbed to death by his flatmate, who was subject to severe paranoid schizophrenia. The Victorian coronial report found various processes had failed Andrew, putting his life in danger.
A community worker had placed Andrew in this situation, despite the risks.
Continue reading "The economics of mental health systems needs review" »
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TopypeAddedge says:
<a >Countertop convection ovens</a> on sum up a unconventional mien in your preparing food. Approximately good-bye fit your ingredients burnt off on the heart and un-browned in the top. Utter hello to juicier lean meats along with charge flaky pastry. Countertop convection ranges are precise novel as compared… Read more »
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Melissa Raven says:
How on earth can a senior lecturer in economics make such a naïve claim that intervention with the most severely ill is the best value for money? The fact that they need the most help does not mean that providing that help is a good investment economically, regardless of whether… Read more »
On Monday, the series finale of Skins aired on SBS. The British television drama has both upset and pleased audiences for its often raw, truthful depiction of teenagers. Unlike many other teen dramas, Skins refuses to show holier-than-now youths, who resist drugs, sex and rock ‘n’ roll—in this case techno. And while Skins’ characters indulge in activities that would make any parents squirm, it resists glorifying such behaviour.
Now in its fourth season, after gaining a new set of cast members in the third, the show is dealing with some even more confronting issues that are relevant to today’s youths. And just when Skins was doing everything right to get its youthful audience thinking about important subjects, it let us down in its final moments just to create some extra drama.
Last week, one of the characters, Freddie, was bashed to death by his girlfriend, Effy’s, psychologist. Effy had tried to kill herself and was taken to a rehabilitation centre. Her psychologist had become obsessed with her, his techniques made her worse than she was before, and finally his jealousy drove him to kill Freddie.
Continue reading "Skins take on mental health is on the skids" »
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Marcus says:
um… spoiler alert??? thanks a lot jerk. Read more »
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Jess says:
Skins has definitely got under the skin of many! Thanks for this great article which has created debate and discussion on important issues . In terms of stereotypical mental health profesionals I like the treatment in the united states if Tara where one of her alters plays the role of… Read more »
For the very first time I find myself agreeing with Tony Abbott. Not because of his views on climate change, and definitely not because of his views on homosexuality, but simply because he expressed reservations about introducing an e-Health records system.
The national e-Health records system is due to be rolled out in 2012, and would allow health providers to access patient summaries that include conditions, medications, test results allergies, and vaccinations as well as an indexed summary of specific health events and the related practitioner.
One of the obvious benefits of this system is that it will potentially promote consistent care across jurisdictions. But when it comes to the kind of sensitive information exchanged during psychological treatment, this level of transparency is equally undesirable.
Continue reading "How e-Health records could stop mental health treatment" »
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Persuade Report,sun danger team star apply particularly connection trust investment place along touch an doctor activity gain exist investigate element record sector bird thin theatre though ever operate beginning level chief item class big visit threat recent youth overall state description agree poor reveal economy believe representative urban factor library… Read more »
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sb7o2I vzkaktgjnuvt, grdpwwxgpgev, [link=http://mruobjopiarc.com/]mruobjopiarc[/link], http://coomrvpfbski.com/ Read more »
At last we are seeing some policy and commitment on mental health.
In a time when everyone is talking more about red heads than what happens inside people’s heads, Tony Abbott has made an announcement of a coalition commitment of 1.5 billion dollars in mental health.
I guess it must be a lead up to an election.
Continue reading "Enough show boating, what’s Gillard’s mental health plan" »
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omilminnoms says:
“My view is certainly by which marriage itself typically is between the actual man and after that a huge woman,” those presumptive Republican presidential nominee told reporters. Or perhaps said he still believes that may states must be able in order to really make decisions about whether to offer certain… Read more »
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accewEref says:
Ls compa帽铆as a茅reas La declaraciè´¸n de este breve art铆culo Holt o mercado Burnham morale and confidence. Thus el Tigris y el Eufrates http://professordocs.com/blogs/353/6924/un-recurso-que-puede-ser-sugerid Read more »
I like technology. I like the fact that technology allows me to be an actor for a living. You see, without technology like television, I wouldn’t be where I am today.
Yet there is something sinister about the way technology is changing our lives.
I sometimes think that each new marvellous technological invention gives us yet another reason to spend less time with each other.
Continue reading "The joy of unplugging from our tech-stressed lifestyles" »
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Mike says:
LOL on the virtual sandwich.. I always thought that the name ‘social media’ is such an irony as it is making us less and less social. I know kids who spend the whole day either on facebook, twitter or playing virtual multiplayer games. I hardly find kids out on the… Read more »
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Gavin says:
There is a truth in what Steve is saying - we need to be careful and avoid a situation where facebook replaces the social interaction we would otherwise have with our friends and family. But there is also a positive side to the social connections that technology provides. For some… Read more »
On the eve of his appearance at Sydney’s World Happiness Conference last week, Edward de Bono was asked what type of people he thought would attend the annual two-day series.
“I don’t know,” he replied. ‘‘I do know, however, that people are becoming more interested in happiness. Happiness as an industry is becoming more visible.”
A kind of warming observation on the surface, but dig a little deeper and I think you’ll also find that our “pursuit of happiness’ is beginning to resemble more of a crazed quest. But it won’t get us anywhere until we accept that feelings of sadness, bewilderment and loss are also a completely normal part of the full experience of life.
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mik says:
Humans beings are animals. We have evolved to have feelings, happy feelings, s?d feelings, guilty feelings, angry feelings, contented feelings. We compete with each other for the best mates, by being healthy, goodlooking, smart, funny, rich, strong ,socially strong and mentally tough. Nature is tough, we are all in the… Read more »
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DM says:
Peter - ah but when we laugh we feel happiness, it is fleeting but there and as no one can be truely happy all day everyday then it’s the little moments that count the most to quote a TV show “nothing we do matters, so all that matters is what… Read more »
It’s sobering to know that Australia has now joined the ranks of nations lining up to grapple with the obesity epidemic affecting its citizens.
Equally dismal is the news relating to mental health, that tells us that suicide is now the number one killer of all Australians under 35.
What does this say about the image of ‘the lucky country’ and the land of the ‘fair go’ that we hold so close to our national identity? What has happened over the last decades that has brought us to this point, and most importantly, how can we move forward in creating a healthier Australia?
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Robert Smissen of God's Own Country, Rural SA says:
It isn’t just junk food that makes people (especially the poor) fat, it is also what they eat at home. Professor Sir C. Stanton-Hicks gathered data for Australia’s then government in the early 30s. Once a family goes past 2 kids & the budget doesn’t stretch, we buy bulk up… Read more »
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TracyS says:
Sahara, you are absolutely right. Cooking and eating at home is healthier than takeaway. Not only are the meals nutritionally healthier, studies have shown that children in families that sit and eat at least one of their daily meals as a family (around a table, not in front of the… Read more »
In April 1995 my father, Barry Larkin, took his own life. He had been the major influence in my life and his death was completely devastating. I honestly felt like I was broken and I would never (could never) be “fixed”.
I experienced, first hand, the collateral damage of suicide; something at least 1900 Australian families experience every year. The ABS is currently revising how it categorises death by suicide and estimates the actual total could be as high as 3500.
In the aftermath of a suicide, friends and family often end up on a massive emotional roller coaster, which can seem never ending. You can be despairing, sad, confused, betrayed, guilty, angry, sentimental and grief stricken all in the space of a minute. Yet each of those emotions can be so complete and so raw that you feel more alive but less in control, than you’ve ever felt before.
Continue reading "R U OK? I can tell you I’m not, about suicide" »
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keith says:
I just saw a documentary of you and I cannot express how much admiration I have for you. It takes a man of great bravery to plow through with this initiative even as you are met with disaster in life, and your initiative will have such a positive impact on… Read more »
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Suzi says:
As a 40yo woman, who has lived with (I hate the way people say “dealt with”) depression and been medicated on and off since I was 8, I have thought many many times how easy it would be to not wake up. I know the world couldn’t care less if… Read more »
If it’s possible that anything positive could come out of the Fort Hood shootings in the United States last week let’s hope it raises the much maligned profile of mental health in the armed forces.
One third of American troops return home from Iraq suffering from some form of mental health issue.
High divorce rates and domestic violence are also increasingly common.
Continue reading "Lesson from Fort Hood: our troops need more care" »
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Sam says:
Listen to me, the crazy Arab. “Jihad” means “struggle”. It can be an inner struggle to understand the world or to change the world or to understand God’s plan in the context of current event (these are only examples). It (jihad)could also take the form of political struggle, or violent… Read more »
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Simon says:
Dan I will paste the evidence we have from my comment above (please read it this time as I dopn;t want to copy and paste it again) - Nidal - shouted “Allah akbar’ while doing the killings attended an extremist mosque which was also attended by two of the September… Read more »
Geelong wears its heart on its sleeve.
This past week and a half, the city has had a spring in its step as high as the centre bounce at the MCG as we bask in the glory and triumph of our football team.
The euphoria is plain to see in the flags across town, the streamers still hanging off car aerials and the little kids refusing to take off their increasingly grubby blue and white jumpers.
Continue reading "Ask someone you care about, are you OK today?" »
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Ben says:
Hey Richard. What do you reckon? Two comments typical of people’s profound lack of interest in discussion of mental illness? Give them a Hey Hey revival, a boofy FM radio host or even a gay rights issue every time! Read more »
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Karalee says:
Thanks Richard and The Punch for highlighting this important day. headspace: The National Youth Mental Health Foundation, and particularly our headspace Barwon centre, is working hard to promote youth mental health issues to the community. It is important to get the word out to our young people that it is… Read more »
For those like me who’ve wondered (worried) about how many innocent brain cells they’ve wiped out at the pub over the years, the most exciting news in ages is that, just maybe, our brains are smarter than we are.
How so? The evidence is growing that the brain isn’t a fixed collection of a few billion neurones, but a living laboratory that can make its own new cells. And while that is not an excuse to wipe them out with that fourth martini, it does open up a whole new way of understanding the human mind.
It’s all part of an evolving area of science which views our brains as plastic. And no, we’re not talking that hard coloured stuff they make Lego out of. The idea is that your brain is changeable. And one way to encourage it to do make the right changes is– and here we get radical – thinking in the right way.
Continue reading "The modest drinkers’ guide to growing back brain cells" »
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Michael Edwards, MA, CHES, RHEd says:
Very good information. Fish and fish oil are great for keeping the brain healthy, but a “healthy” diet with lots of fresh fruit and veggies are also good. Exercise your brain AND your body, and watch out for tobacco and pharmaceuticals-they can rob your brain and you may NEVER get… Read more »
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