Australian Rural Mental Health Symposium

SYDNEY, Novotel Sydney Brighton Beach - Wednesday 29th September - Thursday 30th September 2010
New Perspectives on Rural and Remote Mental Health

• Policy initiatives
• Primary interventions
• Promoting recovery
• Preventing relapse
The symposium will explore new perspectives within the P4 parameters by way of individual symposium papers, keynote presentations, and workshops.
Using this template the Symposium streams will address;
• Trauma, anxiety, depression and suicide (policy, primary interventions, promoting recovery, preventing relapse).
• Service accessibility, delivery and networks in rural mental health
• Indigenous mental health issues, from policy to treatment delivery
• Community resilience following natural disasters
• Government policies and initiatives
• Building capacity through NGO and clinical partnerships

Visit the Symposium website here

No gold medals for government that neglects the mentally ill

Ian Hickie From: The Australian May 17, 2010 12:00AM

AUSTRALIA does not win gold medals for health care. In fact, the World Health Report ranks us at number 32, way below Britain and other Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries.


We do poorly because of high out-of-pocket costs, a lack of equity and poor access, particularly in primary care, mental health and oral health.
Now it is clear the focus of the Rudd government's $7.3 billion new investments is refunding of our acute hospital networks, it is unlikely that we will be winning any gold medals in health in the near future.

In distinct contrast to the past 10 years of genuine reform in Britain and other European countries, very few substantial changes in the way we do business have been achieved.
We now have five layers of bureaucracy (national, state, local hospitals, private health and "Medicare local").

There are no mechanisms for greater competition between public or private insurers or public or private health professionals. Read the full story here.

Budget 'fails to deliver' on mental health

ABC NEWS Updated Wed May 12, 2010 12:43am AEST
Doctors have welcomed the $7.3 billion in health spending announced in the federal budget but are concerned the areas of Indigenous and mental health were ignored.
Treasurer Wayne Swan says the funding, which will top $23 billion by the end of the decade, is needed as Australia's population grows and ages.

An extra $2.2 billion was included in the budget for health on top of the $5.1 billion the Government recently directed towards hospitals.

The money will be focused on areas of primary care, with more money for clinics and nurses to staff them.

AMA president Dr Andrew Pesce says overall, it was a pretty good night.
"We will wait to see how it pans out," he said.  But he said the areas of mental and Indigenous health had not done as well.

"We all recognise the increasing burden of mental health problems in the community," he said.

"This budget fails to deliver on the expectations that people working in that part of the sector really have been working on."

Dr Pesce said it was also important to note the available workforce.  "It may take some time for those extra places to come through," he said...read the full story.

Plea made for mental health funding

Lanai Vasek From: The Australian May 01, 2010 12:00AM

A NATIONAL health body devoted solely to mental health research is desperately needed if Australia is to advance treatment of psychotic illnesses and relieve pressure on the hospital system.

Mental health researchers have pleaded with the federal government for more funding to ease the burden on hospital beds and lift stress on the health system from those with severe psychotic illnesses such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

Director of the Centre for Mental Health Research at the Australian National University Helen Christensen said there should be strategic funds put aside for research into psychotic illnesses.

Professor Christensen said Australian scientists could "lead the world in research" if given the right support.

"If there's research, there's better treatment, and less weight on the system overall," she said.

Professor Christensen -- who is also a senior principal research fellow at the National Health and Medical Research Council -- said there needed to be a separate body, similar to the NHMRC, that could "strategically feed funding" to mental health organisations to ensure adequate investment.

"There needs to be some government leadership on this. . . mental health is just as important as breast cancer awareness and heart disease," she said.

Read the full article here

Mental Health Discrimination Costs the Nation: New Report Launched

A national report was launched in Brisbane revealing how Australia can reduce the cost-burden of mental ill health on the nation.
Currently, the cost of mental ill health is estimated at 3%- 4% of Australia’s GDP.

The report, ‘From Discrimination to Social Inclusion: a review of the anti- stigma initiatives in mental health,’ presents the evidence from international anti- stigma mental health campaigns; and outlines recommendations for a similar Australian initiative.

Get the report here