AICAFMHA:
promoting mental health for young Australians
Australian Infant, Child, Adolescent and Family Mental Health Association Ltd
ABN 87 093 479 022


AICAFMHA E-News in Brief Issue # 9.02

News in Brief - Issue # 9.02 (Apr 7, 2009)

AICAFMHA News

Planning for the 6th National CAMH Conference and the Inaugural World COPMI Conference is well underway. The Call for Abstracts has been released, with a closing date of 30 April 09. Visit the conferences website to register your interest in these events, lodge your abstract, or download the abstract brochure. Sponsorship and exhibition opportunities are also available. Make sure you put 26-28 October 2009 in your diary and plan to be in Adelaide for these exciting events.

For updates on the National COPMI Initiative, visit the Children of Parents with a Mental Illness website at http://www.copmi.net.au/.

Don't forget to order your youth participation resources including the report from the National Youth Participation Strategy in Mental Health Scoping Project Report and the six factsheets, developed in conjunction with headspace. Visit AICAFMHA > Youth for ordering and download details.

What's On

The Events Calendar keeps you up to date, with what's happening in Australia and around the world.
No new Events are available for this edition of News in Brief
Why not browse through all the Events we have listed and if you have an event coming up email secretary@aicafmha.net.au so we can include it in our Calendar.

Mental Health News

2009 Portland National Youth Summit!

In conjunction with the Building on Family Strengths Conference, the RTC is hosting a one-day gathering of 35-40 mental health and/or systems experienced youth from around the country. We are currently seeking committed young leaders, interested in improving youth services, to join us Monday, June 22, 2009 in Portland, OR for this event.
The deadline to receive applications for the 2009 Portland National Youth Summit has been extended! The NEW deadline is Monday, April 6th.

Link related to this news item: www.rtc.pdx.edu/conference/pgSummit.php

Multicultural mental health: stigma reduction training

MMHA has launched its new stigma reduction training kit 'Stepping out of the shadows'. This training package has been developed for CALD community workers to educate their communities about mental health and help reduce stigma towards mental illness. MMHA has already piloted the training kit nationally and is currently collecting expressions of interests from those around the country who wish to gain training. If you would like to be involved in the roll-out of this training package, please call MMHA on 02 9840 3333.

National mental health policy

The latest national mental health policy was launched on March 5th 2009. The policy 'represents a renewed committment by all Health Ministers and Ministers with responsibility for Mental Health to the continual improvement of Australia's mental health system...the policy works towards ensuring that Australia has a mental health system that detects and intervenes early in illness, promotes recovery, ensures access to services and promotes resilience'.

Link related to this news item: www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/mental-pubs#N

Joint statement on loss and grief

In an unprecedented response, eight of Australia?s helpline support service providers and peak bodies concerned with mental health and well-being and suicide prevention have joined forces to issue a consensus statement.
The statement urges all those touched by the range of natural and economic disasters affecting our country to realise they are not alone and help is available.

Link related to this news item: www.sane.org/media/media_releases_2009/joint_statement_on_loss.html

Are Doctors Missing Mental Health Clues In Kids?

It's estimated that one out of every 5 children has a diagnosable mental disorder in the United States. What's worse is that millions of kids simply aren't getting the help they need to deal with it. But a new program is designed to help change that.
As a general pediatrician, Daryl Robbins will care for dozens of kids every day. From toddlers to teens, parents trust him with everything from sprains to allergies.
... by their own admission, there is one area where many family doctors aren't giving a lot of direction. A survey by experts at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio has found that when it comes to mental health - 54% of primary care physicians don't feel confident diagnosing depression in kids - and 85% say they're not confident diagnosing anxiety disorders.

Link related to this news item: www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/145222.php

Resources

The Importance of Prevention

(from RTC Updates)The prevention of mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders among youth needs to be established as a national priority, according to this report from the Institute of Medicine. Key advances in prevention and policy needs for the future are discussed.
http://www.nap.edu/nap-cgi/execsumm.cgi?record_id=12480