Youth Reach Out for Mental Health Help Online
Young people in distress are more likely to look for mental health help online rather than seek help from a professional, a study has found. A national survey conducted by youth mental health organisation Inspire Foundation, questioned more than 3000 people under 25 years of age. It found 75 per cent of participants were experiencing [...]
Mental health champion
ASHLEE Harrison has been applauded for her work with young people across the state after winning the 2013 Educate! Edith Cowan University Award. The 25-year-old founded not-for-profit organisation zero2hero four years ago after identifying a need in raising awareness of mental health issues within the community. “I lost my step-dad in 2008 to suicide and [...]
New network for mental health services
It’s alarming that right now, as people are reading this, less than 50 per cent of the 600,000 Australians who have a serious mental illness are even receiving treatment. We have to start talking more about this. The people affected and their families and friends need all of us to get past the stigma about [...]
Mental health aid on the web
Veterans and Australian Defence Force seeking mental health support will benefit from a new web portal developed by the Department of Veterans’ Affairs. The new At Ease portal offers pathways to achieving mental fitness and resilience, self-help tools, access to professional support, treatment options, healthy drinking and clinical information for GPs and mental health professionals. [...]
Dementia care services: an interview with Sue McLean
Interview conducted by April Cashin-Garbutt, BA Hons (Cantab) Please could you give a brief introduction to dementia? The term ‘dementia’ is used to describe symptoms that occur when the brain is affected by specific diseases and conditions, such as Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia, Lewy Bodies or Korsakoff’s syndrome. Dementia affects a person’s ability to remember, [...]
Cafes with a cause
STREAT chief executive, Rebecca Scott. Photo: Sebastian Costanzo [WHO] Rebecca Scott, co-founder and chief executive of STREAT [WHAT] Using business principles to rescue homeless youth [HOW] Providing life skills, formal training in hospitality and work experience in a unique chain of cafes THE greatest form of social justice is having a job. And the most [...]
A happy Father’s Day ahead – well, for some men at least
‘What is especially alarming is the phenomenon coming to be known as fatherlessness.’ EVERY year, tens of thousands of Australian children are not able to wish their dad, or their granddad, a happy Father’s Day due to their parents being separated or divorced. What does that tell us, that fathers who don’t see their children [...]
Mental health project launched
A new initiative to help people tackle mental health issues will be launched in Wollongong. Mind Blank Inc will launch the SCUBA initiative (Subconscious Understanding for Better Awareness) at the Lagoon Seafood Restaurant with supporters from the IMB Building Society Community Foundation and the Teen Spirit Charitable Foundation. The SCUBA Initiative uses interactive theatre to [...]
Domestic violence program begins in Geelong
Ms Beardon said key indicators of high risk to be included in the program were a history of violence, escalating violence, threats to kill, pet abuse, choking, access to weapons, stalking, sexual assault, separation, pregnancy or a new birth and isolation. A panel including family violence and family support agencies, sexual assault and mental health [...]
Counselling for free – at home
Free and convenient … online initiative makes psychological support more accessible. The evils of the internet tend to get good coverage. There are, of course, plenty of wonders as well. A new free online initiative by the Black Dog Institute is one of these. Launched last Monday, myCompass is a free online self-help service that [...]
