TheMHS Summer Forum – The Haven Project

- www.havenproject.com.au – The Haven Project is a relatively new service operating in South-West Sydney, aiming to provide respite, support and activities for mental health carers. The service is auspiced by Anglicare and coordinates the efforts of a number of services in the region. The service employs indigenous and multilingual workers and hopes to expand [...]

Read Full Post »

TheMHS Summer Forum – Trauma, Victimization and PTSD in Women – Kathleen Brady

Kathleen discusses gender differences in PTSD diagnosis – women are almost twice as likely to experience PTSD, however this is largely due to differences in the types of traumatic experience experienced by women. For example, the rates of rape and domestic violence are far higher for women. Kathleen makes the point that in domestic violence, [...]

Read Full Post »

TheMHS Summer Forum – Kath Thorburn and Michelle Everett: Implications for workforce education

Speakers: Kath Thorburn and Michelle Everett (NSW Insitute of Psychiatry) (Trailer shown for Healing Neen) We cannot offer recovery-oriented services without understanding the profound impacts of trauma. Trauma informed approaches are good for workers as well as consumers and carers (eg. addressing vicarious trauma). You can’t have one without the other, but you can change [...]

Read Full Post »

TheMHS Summer Forum – Rosemary Purcell: Mental illness and violence – what’s the evidence and how can we improve forensic outcomes for young people

Speaker: Rosemary Purcell (Orygen Youth Health Research Centre) Rosemary has been looking at the research evidence between mental illness and violence in a forensic youth context. Are the rates of violence higher among those with mentall illness? In the 1960s and 1970s there were some minor correlations, though observed associations were minimised, if not outright [...]

Read Full Post »

TheMHS Summer Forum – Ron Diamond – The Agitated Patient in the Emergency Department

Ron Diamond’s slide sets will be available on the TheMHS website: www.themhs.org Ron argued that often traditional goals centre around eliminating violence through sedation, seclusion and restraint. Ron argues that a more modern way is to solve the problem without violence, placing the use of medication in the emergency department as one of many tools, [...]

Read Full Post »

Nat Standards for Mental Health Services 2010 – Poster/Video Competition Winners

At the Summer Forum we are currently awarding for the Nat Standards for Mental Health Services 2010 Poster and Video Competition. 39 entries from across Australia three judges are present on the podium Recognition Awards:  (judges selection) (full list of names available soon) Special Campaign Awards – (full list of names avail soon) First Prize [...]

Read Full Post »

Douglas Holmes- How Seclusion and Restraint is being addressed at St Vincents Hospital

Speaker: Douglas Holmes Started work in May 2006 at St Vincents I became eligible to be in the ‘bad club’, then got a diagnosis bipolar. It takes about 10.8 years for correct diagnosis. He discusses the fact that when he started in the new role there wasnt a budget for consumer participation.   He then discusses [...]

Read Full Post »

John Allan: Something to hold on to: Restraint and Seclusion Reduction in Australia

Speaker: John Allen (NSW Health) “Aim to reduce and where possible eliminate use of secluson and restraint in public mental health services”. Attitudes have not however changed that rapidly even with the work we have done over the past three years.  He discusses the key principles for seclusion and restraint practice (7 principles).    One of [...]

Read Full Post »

Ron Diamond: Borderline Personality Disorder – understanding and responding to aggression

Speaker: Ron Diamond Personality Disorder we talk about personality characteristics what is a personality disorder? means it routinely gets them in trouble, its problems in all areas and ongoing and its pervasive there is a stigma around Borderline Personality Disorder more so than other labels such as schizophrenia etc when we look at the DSM [...]

Read Full Post »

Penny Coombes and Gavin Adams: Ensuring the bricks and mortar support users’ quality of life and mental health

Chair: Leonie Manns Speakers: Penny Coombes and Gavin Adams Attendees being seated… session will begin soon Starting with Penny Coombes – from The People for Places and Spaces Gavin and I share a passion to get the built environment as supportive as possible. We want to inspire you to make these environments better. Shows a [...]

Read Full Post »