$1.44 million for mental health

Written by The Balance Life Team | 14 February 2008

Mental Health support looks set to improve in Parkes and Forbes following the approval of $1.44 million of funding for three Mission Australia projects in the Central West.
Minister Assisting the Minister for (Mental) Health, Paul Lynch, made the announcement on Thursday with Forbes and Parkes receiving $360,000 in funding under the Recovery and Resource Services Program.

Mission Australia’s New South Wales Mental Health Operations Manager Bronwyn Howlett said an office will be established in Parkes in the coming months and employees will be working closely with those members of the communities struggling with mental health issues.

“This funding is allocated based on need,” Ms Howlett said.

“The Recovery and Resource Services Program means we will be working with people with mental illness to try and reconnect them with the community, via things such as leisure activities and employment.”

Statistics have shown one in five people have or will be affected by mental illness, seeing 60,000 people in the Greater Western Area Health Services suffering on a daily basis.

“This program is about providing outreach to people in regional New South Wales,” Ms Howlett said.

“Isolation is one of the major struggling with mental illness because people lack that confidence and this program aims at looking at these issues and trying to break some barriers.”

Bathurst and Cowra ($540,000), Dubbo ($540,000) along with Forbes and Parkes ($360,000) are the projects to be funded over the next three years with Independent Dubbo MP Dawn Fardell also welcoming the move by the State Government.

Mrs Fardell said the funding is vital to boost mental health programs and increase assistance in an area that was critically under-resourced nationwide.

“It is important that programs such as these are equipped to tailor initiatives to the individual needs of clients and the communities in which they live,” Mrs Fardell said.

“Sadly, people struggling with a mental illness can be extremely marginalised and struggle with a range of issues including housing, employment and accessing services - Mission Australia has a proud record of assisting people connect with others in order to enjoy greater participation in the life of their communities.”

04 February 2008

http://parkes.yourguide.com.au

More doctors prescribe exercise to treat depression

Written by The Balance Life Team | 14 February 2008

A mental health charity in Britain says increasing numbers of doctors are prescribing exercise for people with depression.

The Mental Health Foundation conducted a survey of 200 family doctors in England and found that 22% suggest exercise to help people with milder forms of the condition.

A similar survey three years ago found only 5% recommended exercise to alleviate depression.

The foundation says research has shown that exercise can help people with mild forms of depression by improving self-esteem and by relieving feelings of isolation which can exacerbate their depression; exercise is also known to encourage the release of endorphins the 'feel-good brain chemicals'.

At some point in their lives one in every four women and one in every six men will suffer from depression.

The Mental Health Foundation says it is important that doctors do not just prescribe antidepressants for patients, and other options such as an increased availability of exercise on prescription is needed.

Mental health experts say exercise can help people physically, socially and biologically.

The survey found that while 61% of doctors believe that exercise therapy can be beneficial many did not have access to an exercise referral scheme.

Two thirds of the doctors wished they had such a referral scheme as there had been a marked increase in the number of people asking whether exercise could help them.

Exercise programmes organised by the Mental Health Foundation are supported by funds from the Department of Health, but are only available in some parts of the country.

Under six new schemes patients are assigned a personal trainer who devises an appropriate exercise regime for them; the results of the schemes are due to be published next year.

The Mental Health Foundation says depression is a complex illness and it is important that doctors have a range of treatments to offer people with depression.

The Foundation says there is a real need for increased availability of exercise on prescription so that it is accessible alongside antidepressant medication and psychological therapies.

The Royal College of General Practitioners says doctors recognise the benefits of exercise in treating mental illness and there is more awareness and increasing evidence that it works.

The Foundation has been campaigning for the last three years for doctors to increase their use of exercise therapy to treat mild to moderate depression.

Depression is a complicated illness, which can involve a number of contributing factors such as genes, environment, lifestyle, brain chemicals, psychology and personality; each year, almost 800,000 Australian adults will experience a depressive illness.

Depression is the third most common cause of illness among women and the tenth most common cause among men; in 2001, Australian GPs reported depression as the fourth most common illness that they dealt with.

It is the leading cause of disability in Australia and accounts for more days lost to the workplace than those lost to industrial action.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) by 2020, depression will be the second biggest health problem world-wide, behind heart disease.
 
Medical Condition News http://www.news-medical.net

Published: Monday, 11-Feb-2008

THE RSPCA wants the State Government to bring in legislation to ensure people convicted of hoarding

Written by The Balance Life Team | 06 February 2008

ALEXANDRA TREDREA

June 30, 2007 01:15am

THE RSPCA wants the State Government to bring in legislation to ensure people convicted of hoarding animals were treated for mental illness.

The plea comes as another animal welfare group, CatRescue, backed the RSPCA's request the government recognise animal hoarding - involving people living in places overcrowded with pets - as a psychiatric issue.

RSPCA spokeswoman Aimee McKay said people convicted by the courts of animal cruelty should be forced to undergo some form of counselling.

"It is difficult to charge people with animal cruelty if they are mentally ill," Ms McKay said.

"But we would like to see some legislation brought in that (says) if a person is found guilty of animal cruelty and has a mental illness they would be offered counselling."

One Adelaide couple, Joseph and Margaret Higham, are before court on charges they kept more than 120 dogs at their Sutherland property.

Ms McKay said the RSPCA was concerned about cases such as these. "We want to liaise with the government and get together with all these (animal welfare) groups and try to come up with some sort of solution," she said.

A spokesman for Mental Health and Substance Abuse Minister Gail Gago said the RSPCA was yet to raise the issue with the government.

"We would be happy to listen to their views and see if the current mechanisms are adequate in relation to dog hoarders found guilty of animal cruelty offences," he said.

"The issue is not about the number of animals people keep, it's about how they keep them.

"There are already mechanisms generally within the legal system to deal with people who commit crimes while suffering from a mental illness."

CatRescue chairman Derek Knox said the RSPCA was taking the right approach.

"Animal hoarders seek the gratitude and thanks the public shows them for saving animals," he said.

Monash University Associate Professor Eleonora Gullone said animal hoarders did not realise their actions were wrong.

Overview of Mental Illness in Australia

Written by The Balance Life Team | 03 February 2008

A mental illness or disorder is a diagnosable illness that significantly interferes with an individual’s cognitive, emotional or social abilities.  There are many different types of disorders, which occur to varying degrees of severity. 

About 20% of Adult Australians, or one in five people, will experience a mental illness at some stage in their lives.  Many will live with more than one mental illness at a time, such as anxiety and depression, which commonly occur together.

Each year a further 20 000 Australians are found to have a mental illness.  In summary:

• Three million Australians will experience a major depressive illness during their lifetime;
• 5 per cent of Australians experience anxiety so crippling that is affects every aspect of their lives;
• Almost 1 in 100 Australians will experience schizophrenia during their lifetime;
• About 3 per cent of Australians will experience a psychotic illness such as schizophrenia during their lifetime.

The documents below  will give you an overview of the prevalence of mental illness in Australia, causes and experience of mental illness, types of mental illnesses, treatments available for mental illness and current mental health strategies.

        Mental Health Strategies

http://www.responseability.org