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promoting mental health for young Australians
Australian Infant, Child, Adolescent and Family Mental Health Association Ltd
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AICAFMHA E-News in Brief Issue #3.06

News in Brief - Issue #3.06 (12/04/2003)

AICAFMHA News / What's On? / Mental Health News / Resources / Back to E-News index

AICAFMHA News

The Consultation Paper for the Third National Mental Health Plan 2003-08 is available to download from the AICAFMHA website at http://www.aicafmha.net.au . Comments and suggestions for inclusion in the AICAFMHA response document should be forwarded to secretary@aicafmha.net.au by COB Thursday 24th April. Discussion about the document will be hosted on the AICAFMHA Discussion list.

The project update for the Children of Parents with a Mental Illness National Initiative is online now. View .

List subscribers are invited to review the strategic directions developed for the association. Comments, to secretary@aicafmha.net.au, are requested by Wed 30th April 2003.

The 4th Queensland Network (Supporting Children & Young People in Families Where a Parent is Living with a Mental Health Problem) Newsletter can be viewed on the AICAFMHA website.

The new AICAFMHA membership year starts on 1st July 2003. Stay tuned for new membership packages to be announced towards the end of May.

What?s On?

Conference delay:
The international Internet, Media, and Mental Health Conference has been postponed. The new date set is the 21st - 24th April, 2004. The conference will still be at the Brisbane Conference and Exhibition Centre in sunny Queensland.

3rd State Conference of the Elderly Suicide Prevention Network What's Resilience Got To Do With It?
When: 7 November 2003 (pre conference workshops 6 November 2003)
Where: Carlton Crest Hotel, Parramatta, Sydney NSW
For more information or to receive a conference brochure contact: Troy Speirs Conference Coordinator, Western Sydney Area Health Service
Ph: 02 9840 4120 Fax: 02 9840 3703
espnconference@wsahs.nsw.gov.au

The draft program for the 5th International Narrative Therapy and Community Work Conference can now be viewed at: www.dulwichcentre.com.au

"Finding Meaning to Sustain Life - the place of spirituality in suicide prevention" (Suicide Prevention Australia's annual conference), Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, June 12-15 2003

Mental Health News

An advance notice that ABC Radio National's 'Encounter' is doing a one hour feature on suicide entitled 'Religion and Life' . This goes to air on Easter Sunday (April 20) at 7.00 am and is repeated the following Wednesday (April 23) at 7.00 pm.

NIMH Launches First Public Health Education Campaign to Reach Men with Depression Real Men Real Depression
New website where you can view public service announcements, meet real men with depression, and learn more about the signs and symptoms of depression and where to go for help.
http://menanddepression.nimh.nih.gov
Public service announcements feature real men with depression.
Press Release - http://menanddepression.nimh.nih.gov/infopage.asp?id=18
Campaign Press Room - http://menanddepression.nimh.nih.gov/infopage.asp?ID=6

April edition of the Kids Help Line Newsletter. This newsletter looks at overcoming the barriers to male emotional expression in the article Boys Jumping Hurdles. http://www.kidshelp.com.au/research/newsletters.html

SANE Media Releases:
Australia's mentally ill, missing out
SANE Australia supports the Mental Health Council of Australia's (MHCA) call for action after the release of a report illustrating, yet again, Australia's ailing mental health services, in desperate need of 'real' reform to address 'grossly unmet needs'.
View release.
'What do you do when your mum has schizophrenia..?'
During National Youth Week (5-13 April), fifteen year-old Dan Halloran with SANE Australia will launch You're Not Alone - a cartoon-book he inspired to help children like him who have a parent diagnosed with a mental illness
View release.

Child Protection Review Report:
This very significant report was released 26th March. It is over 700 pages in length and makes some major recommendations. At this stage the document is available for download chapter by chapter at: http://www.dhs.sa.gov.au/childprotectionreview/cpr-report.asp

The latest Victorian Service Seeker on CD-ROM.
Over 90,000 agencies and services that provide support to look after the welfare and wellbeing of Victorian communities. The CD-ROM is now available for use on your personal computer for only $66. To order a copy of the CD-ROM online go to http://isscd.infoxchange.net.au/order.shtml

Please be advised that Vol 1, Issue 3 of Auseinet's eJournal - The Australian e-Journal for the Advancement of Mental Health (AeJAMH) - is now available online at: http://www.auseinet.com/journal/

April 2003: Talking to Children About War
Medscape Psychiatry Editor's Note: When discussing war with children, our approach needs to be different. Helpful talking points from APA.
Medscape Psychiatry & Mental Health 8(1) 2003
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/451334

Primary Health Care Research and Information Service (PHCRIS) has just released the results from the Annual Survey of Divisions of GP. The report is available on the PHCRIS web site at www.phcris.org.au

Young Media Australia (YMA) Helpline. This is a reminder that the YMA Helpline provides a Movie Review Service for parents and caregivers, a service which many find particularly helpful during the school holidays.
Parents are urged to phone the Helpline (1800 700 357) before taking their children to a movie, to check first whether that movie is likely to be suitable, particularly if there is violence or material that may be scary for younger children.
Information about movies is also available on the Young Media Australia website www.youngmedia.org.au.

Emerging Findings from the Children's NSF
UK's Children's National Service Framework. It includes a paper titled, "Improving the Patient Experience: Friendly Health Care Environments for Children and Young People" The emerging findings and the Hospital Standards are now out. You can find both reports at http://www.doh.gov.uk/nsf/children/gettingtherightstart.htm

Resources

From The Freechild Project
Resources for Social Change By and With Young People http://freechild.org New Resource Available!
"So, You Wanna Be a Playa? The Freechild Project Guide to Cooperative Games for Social Change"
By Adam Fletcher with Kari Kunst
The 20 page booklet is free to download from http://freechild.org/gamesguide.htm.

From Medscape Medpulse:
Recognizing and Screening for Postpartum Depression in Mothers of NICU Infants
Depression after childbirth can have devastating effects on both mothers and infants. Review how to recognize, support, and refer mothers with signs and symptoms of PPD.
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/450938

Addressing Both the Emotional and Physical Symptoms in Depression
Recognizing and treating the physical manifestations as well as the emotional components of depression are crucial to a comprehensive clinical approach. Medscape 2003
http://www.medscape.com/viewprogram/2240?mpid=11510

Dual Diagnoses, New Perspectives
One of the difficulties in dealing with patients with so-called "dual diagnoses" of a primary psychiatric disorder and a substance abuse disorder is the inherent paradox in the message that we give them as we treat them.
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/450923?mpid=11510

What Can I Do to Help a Child Who Is Being Bullied?
With all the talk of bullying in schools these days, how can I tell if my patients are being bullied? And what can I do to help?
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/451381?mpid=11794

Adolescence and ADHD
Studies have shown that over the course of the lifespan, the manifestations of ADHD may change. Medscape Psychiatry & Mental Health 8(1) 2003
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/451241

From ABC Health Updates:
NEW DIMENSIONS HEALTH: Positive Outlook, Happy Families and Spiritual Happiness
Tuesday 15 April, 6.30pm, ABC TV
For over 40 years it's been known that bereavement is a risk to physical health. Death rates are higher among groups of people who have recently lost someone close. A recent study in the Medical Journal of Australia found that depression and social isolation are just as significant risk factors for coronary heart disease as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and smoking. Yet these days dysfunctional families seem to be more the norm than the exception. New Dimensions Health looks at the Family Strengths research project at the University of Newcastle and the tools they use to guide families to become happier and stronger. We also meet two very different groups of people who have decided that 'spiritual happiness', not material wealth, is one of the keys to good health.
http://www.abc.net.au/dimensions/dimensions_health/default.htm

The 28th March issue of National Rural Health Alliance's EForum is online at http://www.ruralhealth.org.au/nrhapublic/Index.Cfm?Category=EForum .