Expert warns against child mental health checks

Professor Allen Frances

One of the most influential psychiatrists in the United States says the Federal Government's program to screen three-year-olds for mental health problems is "ridiculous" and potentially dangerous.

By Eleanor Hall -  ABC Radio

Australian preschoolers are set to be screened for early signs of mental illness as part of the Government-funded Healthy Kids Check, which would be voluntary for families.
The Australian Medical Association (AMA) supports the initiative but says the evaluations must focus on broad-based problems rather than individual things like fear of the dark or fear of monsters.

The Healthy Kids Check will be predominately conducted by GPs who will refer children with troubling behaviour to psychologists and paediatricians.

The program will cost $11 million over five years and is expected to identify about 27,000 children who would benefit from extra support.

But Professor Allen Frances, an Emeritus Professor at the Duke University, has raised concerns about the scheme... more

Partners in Depression- Supporting those who care

Over one million people in Australia have a family member or friend with depression and supporting a person with depression can take a toll on the carer’s own mental health and wellbeing. However, carers frequently report difficulties in connecting with services that are inclusive or which specifically consider their needs.

Partners in Depression is a six week group education program for those who love, live with or care for a person experiencing depression. It was developed and piloted in the Hunter Valley, Australia and evaluation of the pilot indicated that it met participants’ expectations, addressed the stated information goals and was associated with a significant improvement in participants’ psychological distress (as measured by the DASS).

In 2009, Hunter Institute of Mental Health began a national dissemination of Partners in Depression. Four hundred mental health professionals were trained in the program so that they could deliver it in their local community.

To date, over 150 groups have been run and over 1000 people have attended the program. Further, Partners in Depression is now more than just a group education course, it is also about raising awareness of the role of carers of people with depression, extending the evidence base into what we know about supporting family members and friends of people with depression, supporting innovation to enable the program to be available more widely, as well as providing opportunities for carers to connect with others.

Elena will provide an overview of the many facets of the Partners in Depression program.

Findings will also be presented about the impact of the Partners in Depression course on the mental health and wellbeing of participants, as delivered through the national dissemination project.

Elena Terol,  Hunter Institute of Mental Health will present at the:
13th International Mental Health Conference, "Positive Change -- Investing in Mental Health" 6th to the 8th of August 2012, on the Gold Coast.  http://anzmh.asn.au/conference

The impact of a needs based education and carer support group for carers of people with a mental illness: A pilot study

Dr Julia Bowman

The emphasis on community-based care in preference to hospitalisation relies significantly on the availability and willingness of informal carers (Goodwin & Harpell, 2006).

Whilst care-giving can be a rewarding and positive experience, a number of studies indicate that caring for a person with a mental illness has distinct challenges. These include difficulty navigating the mental health system, lack of respite, stigma of mental illness, uncertainty related to the episodic nature of mental illness and dealing with the consumer’s lack of insight or denial of the illness (Hunter, 2005; Shankar & Muthuswamy, 2007; Cleary, Freeman & Walter, 2006).

Furthermore, informal carers frequently report feeling isolated from usual sources of social and emotional support (Stephens, Farhall, Farnan & Ratcliff, 2011).

The aim of this pilot study was to evaluate the impact of a needs-based education and support group on the psychological well-being of informal carers. Participants attended a two-hour education and support group once a month. The group was facilitated by a multidisciplinary team from Blacktown City Mental Health (Western Sydney Local Health District) and the Uniting Care Mental Health.

Participants also had the option of receiving individual counselling, support and advocacy through the Uniting Care Mental Health Family and Carers Program. Outcomes were measured at baseline, 6 months and 12 months. Follow up focus groups were conducted to qualitatively explore informal carer’s experiences of attending the program and whether the program addressed their perceived needs.

Data was analysed using descriptive statistics and a time-series analysis to quantitatively evaluate the impact of attending a monthly carer support group. Qualitative data was analysed using constant comparison thematic analysis.

Preliminary results of the impact of the education and support group will be presented.

Dr Julia Bowman, Senior Lecturer, University of Western Sydney will present at the

13th International Mental Health Conference, "Positive Change -- Investing in Mental Health" 6th to the 8th of August 2012, on the Gold Coast.

http://anzmh.asn.au/conference

Not all jobs are created equal: The impact of psychosocial job quality on mental health

It is becoming well established that the psychosocial aspects of a person's job can impact their mental health. These psychosocial factors include the level of job demands, the amount of control or autonomy available in the position, the level of reward given the effort required, and the amount of perceived job security.

Dr Liana Leach's presentation will review recent Australian research in this area, including findings showing that multiple psychosocial job adversities are associated with progressively poorer mental health. This research has generated much interest from government agencies responsible for developing policy to promote psychological wellbeing, and minimise psychological harm, in the workplace.

However, translating research findings into practice and the development of strategies and guidelines to minimise adverse psychosocial job factors is not easy.

Dr Liana Leach, National Health and Medical Research Council will present this paper at the;

13th International Mental Health Conference, "Positive Change -- Investing in Mental Health" 6th to the 8th of August 2012, on the Gold Coast.

http://anzmh.asn.au/conference

Measuring mental health and cannabis use in remote Indigenous communities: better data for better intervention

Dr India Bohanna

Drug use and the associated mental health impacts are a major health issue in remote Indigenous communities exacerbated by limited access to mental health services.  In Queensland and Northern Territory communities, rates of cannabis use may be as high as one in two, and we have preliminary data suggesting cannabis users are suffering a wide range of mental health impacts, some of which are indicative of drug-induced psychosis. In order to systematically document these mental health impacts and facilitate early intervention, we must first establish reliable and validated research methods to measure mental health in these communities.

The challenges for mental health research in these communities will be outlined, as will be the steps currently being taken to establish systematic approaches to measuring mental health and cannabis use.

It is anticipated that the development of culturally valid and reliable methods for detecting symptoms of mental ill health will facilitate early intervention and thus improve mental health outcomes for those living in remote Indigenous communities.

Dr India Bohanna, Research Fellow, and A/Prof Alan Clough, James Cook University will present at the;

The 13th International Mental Health Conference 6th to the 8th of August 2012 Outrigger Inn (formerly Holiday Inn) Gold Coast, Qld http://www.anzmh.asn.au/conference