Anti Depressants - Possible Side Effects
Dr Norman Swan on ABC's Health Report interviews Ian Hickie about possible side effects of anti-depressants in the light of the recent release by the US Food and Drug Administration.

FDA Public Health Advisory - Antidepressants

The United States Food and Drug Administration has issued a further warning about certain antidepressants:

"Today the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) asked manufacturers of the following antidepressant drugs to include in their labeling a Warning statement that recommends close observation of adult and pediatric patients treated with these agents for worsening depression or the emergence of suicidality. The drugs that are the focus of this new Warning are: Prozac (fluoxetine); Zoloft (sertraline); Paxil (paroxetine); Luvox (fluvoxamine); Celexa (citalopram); Lexapro (escitalopram); Wellbutrin (bupropion); Effexor (venlafaxine); Serzone (nefazodone); and Remeron mirtazapine)."

Further information including the full text of the public health advisory is available here.

The latest information from the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration is available here, released 11 March 2004.

World Health Organization: Mental Health
This site has been featured previously, but there are a number of new publications that may be of interest:

Investing in Mental Health

"Mental health has been hidden behind a curtain of stigma and discrimination for too long. It is time to bring it out into the open. The magnitude, suffering and burden in terms of disability and costs for individuals, families and societies are staggering. In the last few years, the world has become more aware of this enormous burden and the potential for mental health gains. We can make a difference using existing knowledge ready to be applied. We need to enhance our investment in mental health substantially and we need to do it now."

The Mental Health Context : Mental Health Policy and Service Guidance Package.
This is part of a series of modules on developing mental health policies. The rest of the series is available here.

Caring for Children and Adolescents with Mental Health Disorders : Setting WHO Directions

"The lack of attention to the mental health of children and adolescents may lead to mental disorders with lifelong consequences, undermines compliance with health regimens, and reduces the capacity of societies to be safe and productive. Contemporary recognition of child and adolescent mental disorders and advances in the care of children and adolescents with mental disorders provide an incentive to synthesize current knowledge, identify issues for future exploration, and consider appropriate policies."

Worried, Tired and Alone... A Report of Mental Health Carers' Issues in WA.

"This research into the issues affecting carers of people with mental illness in Western Australia was commissioned by Carers WA in July 2003 as part of their ongoing commitment to identify carer needs and to advocate on their behalf. The research was undertaken in partnership with the Mental Health Carers Issues Network which works collaboratively to identify, promote and address mental health carers’ issues in WA.
The aim of this research was to identify the current needs of carers and the issues impacting on their lives. The research also aimed to establish if there were any new issues emerging that have not previously been identified."

Delivering interventions for depression by using the internet: randomised controlled trial

This article looks at the effectiveness of delivering cognitive behaviour therapy and psycho-education interventions via the internet. Helen Christensen was interviewed on the ABC Radio Health Report recently about this project.

The programs Helen speaks about are Moodgym and Bluepages.

The 3rd World Conference: The Promotion of Mental Health and Prevention of Mental and Behavioural Disorders From Research to Effective Practice

The main theme of the Conference is how to develop effective practice that is based on sound research and as such will continue the work begun at the first two world conferences in Atlanta in 2000 and London in 2002.
The New Zealand Conference will once again be an international working meeting designed to move forward the prevention and promotion field, by organising and mobilising influential individuals and organisations. Collaborative relationships will be the vehicle of the movement and the Conference is designed to strengthen these relationships during and through its proceedings.
The 2004 Conference will thus build upon the organisation and aims developed in the previous world conferences. It will evaluate the progress made since London, develop new and/or updated strategies and action plans and seek to broaden the support for prevention and promotion in mental health across countries, regions, cultures, social class, disciplines and amongst the different stakeholders.

The Science of Public Messages for Suicide Prevention [Powerpoint presentation]

NIMH, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS), part of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), convened a workshop on “The Science of Public Messages for Suicide Prevention,” in October 2003. Suicide prevention advocates in the field, evaluation specialists, and experts in suicide contagion, public health message development, mental health literacy, stigma, and marketing were brought together to discuss research on public messaging campaigns, and address specific issues in suicide prevention. The purpose of the workshop was to consider safe and effective ways of raising public awareness that suicide is a preventable public health problem. In breakout sessions, participants were asked to discuss three examples of current public awareness campaigns from state and regional efforts, and to consider ways of testing assumed “active ingredients,” market penetration, and proposed outcomes.

Also of interest may be other papers from the same conference. These papers are on the US Suicide Prevention Resource Center site, which has a wealth of material including a library catalogue, providing access to online information.

Resilience - by Anne Deveson

How is it that some people can be resilient in adversity while others become overwhelmed?

Anne Deveson’s long and distinguished career with the media and social justice organisations have granted her rare insight into people who have faced suffering – ordeals of family breakdown, mental illness, human rights abuse, disaster or war. What is it, she wonders, that enables individuals or communities to arise from despair?

Her exploration of the nature of resilience weaves together research, reflection and memoir in an intellectual and personal story, made all the more vivid by the fact that, as she embarked upon it, she became an intimate witness to the struggle for resilience of someone she loved.

In this series of programs from ABC Radio National she reads from her book Resilience.
NOTE: Transcripts of this program are not available, but it is possible to listen to the audio files.