The Mental Health of America
(adapted from Ivanhoe Newswire)

Four studies published in the June issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry delve into mental health among Americans, and the results are surprising. The first study, from researchers at Harvard in Boston, found more than 26 percent of adults had symptoms in the previous 12 months that would give them a diagnosis of a mental disorder. Most were classified as serious or moderate. The study was conducted on more than 9,200 adults. A second study looked at the lifetime prevalence of mental illness in the United States. The same
researchers from Harvard found half of American adults had symptoms that would qualify them as having a mental disorder over the course of their lives. Most of the disorders began in childhood or adolescence....

The NCS-R results will yield much-needed information about the burden of disease, medical comorbidity, and global patterns of illness. This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, who offers Medical Alerts by e-mail every day of the week. To subscribe, go to: http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/.

SOURCE: Archives of General Psychiatry, 2005;62: 617-627; 593-602; 603-613; 629-640 and 590-592

LIFE (Living is for Everyone)

Launch of LIFE (Living is for Everyone) website On Wednesday May 11, the
Living is for Everyone (LIFE site) was successfully launched at
Parliament House in Canberra by the Hon Christopher Pyne, Parliamentary
Secretary to the Minister for Health and Ageing. The LIFE website has
been developed by Auseinet as part of its commitment to facilitating
networks for information exchange and learning under the Australian
Government National Suicide Prevention Strategy (NSPS). The site
includes access to online and print based resources, Australian
statistics, information about suicide prevention projects, resources
related to the social and emotional wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander peoples, conference listings, links to media reports,
and related sites.
To visit the site go to: http://www.livingisforeveryone.com/

New York State Recommends Use of TeenScreen Mental Health Check-Ups to
Prevent Teen Suicide

NEW YORK, June 8 /PRNewswire/ --
The New York State Office of Mental Health (OMH) recommends that local communities conduct voluntary teen mental health screenings, and specifically encourages use of the Columbia University TeenScreen Program, as part of the state's suicide prevention efforts. The recommendation is contained in the state's new suicide prevention plan, Saving Lives in New York: Suicide Prevention and Public Health. Each year New York loses over 1,300 lives to suicide.

The TeenScreen Program provides consultation, training, screening tools, software and technical assistance free of charge to schools and communities who want to implement their own voluntary mental health screening programs. In addition to OMH, TeenScreen has been endorsed by the President's New Freedom Commission on Mental Health and more than 30 national health, education and social service groups. Source: Columbia University

Media report
Triple J's HACK program is focusing on mental illness for the week
commencing 6th June 2005. It featured a number of young carers from NSW
and explores the issues relating to families. You can also listen to the
audio from the program. The interview can be downloaded from the website
at http://www.abc.net.au/triplej/hack/notes/s1386333.htm. It will be on
the front page for about a week, after which time you can get it from
the Archive file for June.

Identifying the student at risk
Adolescent psychologist Dr Michael Carr-Gregg is conducting a series of one-day workshops for school staff through the Australian Principals Centre (now part of the Australian Council for Educational Research). Schools are often in the front line in the provision of psychological 'first aid' to a generation of school students whose psychosocial health is said to be well below that of their parents at a similar age, and therefore the series of skills-based workshops is tailored to the needs of school staff who are in pastoral care positions.

(From: ACER e-news - May 05)

Medical disorders of suicides in Australia: analysis using a multiple-cause-of-death approach
Lado T. Ruzicka, Ching Y., Choi and Krys Sadkowsky

The impaired health of a person who has committed suicide is often suggested among the proximate causes of suicidal behaviour. The introduction in 1997 of multiple-cause-of-death coding by the Australian Bureau of Statistics provided an opportunity to examine health impairments recorded on the death certificates of suicides. Data for the quinquennium 1997–2001 revealed a high prevalence of mental and behavioural disorders, in particular among women and among young and adolescent suicides. Comparison of multiple causes of death attributed to those who died in accidents with those recorded as suicides revealed that of the chronic and terminal illnesses, HIV and cancer were probably the conditions likely to trigger suicidal action.

Social Science & Medicine Volume 61, Issue 2 , July 2005, Pages 333-341

Depression Gene May Weaken Mood-Regulating Circuit
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/press/shortcircuit.cfm

A brain scan study suggests that a suspect gene may increase susceptibility to anxiety and depression by weakening a circuit for processing negative emotion. People with the depression-linked gene variant showed less gray matter and weaker connections in the mood-regulating circuit. How well the circuit was connected accounted for nearly 30 percent of their anxious temperament, researchers at the National Institute of Health’s (NIH) National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) found. Dr. Daniel Weinberger and colleagues report on their brain imaging genetics study in the May 8, 2005 online edition of Nature Neuroscience.

RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL EVALUATES RISK OF ADOLESCENT SUICIDE SCREENING PROGRAMS

"Our findings can allay concerns about the potential harm of high
school-based suicide screening," state the authors of an article published
in the April 6, 2005, issue of JAMA, The Journal of the American Medical
Association. The authors note that while evidence for the clinical
validity and reliability of school-based screening procedures has recently
emerged, the potential harm of screening for suicide remains unstudied.
The article examines whether asking an adolescent about suicidal ideation
and behavior during a screening program creates immediate or persistent
distress or increases suicidal ideation among high school students
generally or among high-risk students with depression symptoms, substance
use problems, or previous suicide attempts, specifically.

Students from six high schools in the state of New York participating in a
school-based suicide-screening program were assessed between fall 2002 and
spring 2004. Classes within each of the six high schools were randomized
to either an experimental group (N=1,172 students) or a control group
(N=1,170 students). The experimental group received a first screening
survey with a set of questions assessing suicidal ideation and behavior;
the control group received the same first survey but without suicide
questions. Students' transient distress was measured at the beginning and
end of the first survey and again at the beginning of a second survey
administered 2 days after the first. Both groups received the same second
survey, which included suicide questions.

The authors found that
* Experimental and control groups did not differ significantly in their
distress levels immediately after the first survey or 2 days later.
* The experimental group reported no more suicidal ideation after the
survey than the control group.
* Students with depression symptoms reported more distress and suicidal
ideation than other students; however, being exposed to suicide questions
in the first survey did not exacerbate distress or suicidal ideation among
students with depression. On the contrary, among students with depression,
the experimental group had slightly lower distress scores than the control
group.
* Among previous suicide attempters, the experimental group had less
suicidal ideation than the control group.
The authors conclude that "universal screening for mental health problems
and suicide risk should continue to be at the forefront of the national
agenda for youth suicide prevention."


Full reference
Gould MS, Marrocco FA, Kleinman M, et al. 2005. Evaluating iatrogenic risk
of youth suicide screening programs: A randomized controlled trial. JAMA,
The Journal of the American Medical Association 293(13):1635-1643.

Suicide and deliberate self harm in young people
Keith Hawton, Anthony James

Deliberate self harm ranges from behaviours with no suicidal intent (but with the intent to communicate distress or relieve tension) through to suicide. Some 7%-14% of adolescents will self harm at some time in their life, and 20%-45% of older adolescents report having had suicidal thoughts at some time.

BMJ: 2005; 330; pp 891-894

Study: Suicide Query Won't Plant the Idea

CHICAGO (AP) -- Asking teenagers about suicide won't make them more likely to contemplate it, as some parents and school officials fear, a study suggests. In fact, the study found that simply asking troubled students about any suicidal impulses appears to ease their distress and might make some of them less likely to try killing themselves.

For the whole story, click here: http://www.intelihealth.com/IH/ihtIH/WSIHW000/333/8014/414107

The Hiddden Army
Reporter: Quentin McDermott
Broadcast: 28/03/2005

Next on Four Corners, a close-up look at what could be the toughest job in Australia – it’s hard work, low pay, few holidays, high stress... and it’s all done for love. It’s the job of caring.

Nearly 500,000 of these people are so-called primary carers. They cannot get a "proper" job because they are on call nearly every minute of every day. They want to look after their loved ones at home for as long as possible. But it’s a relentless struggle to get the help they need. Eventually, many surrender, placing family members in nursing homes or other types of formal care. These are Australia’s hidden army of carers. By some estimates their dedication saves the economy about $20 billion a year. Most primary carers report getting by on less than $200 a week.

Four Corners looks into the world of the carer – the fear and insecurity, the frustrations, failures and rewards - through four stories of love and devotion

Something on my Mind!

Something on my Mind is a brand new Streetwize comic, aimed at young people whose parents or carers are experiencing mental illness. Developed by a group of young people in a series of comic workshops, this resource explores the impact mental illness can have on family life through Mia's, Jonno's and Miriam's stories. The comic encourages young people and families to seek help and support.
It was distributed in NSW only, and was sent to high schools, among other places.
For a sample copy, please email Alis Middleton alis@streetwize.com.au
Streetwize Communications www.streetwize.com.au

Messing with heads Date
Published: Monday, 7th March 2005
Source: ABC - Four Corners
Full story: online here
A whole generation of Australians has grown up believing that smoking pot is a harmless pastime. They need to think again. The view of cannabis as a benign drug is under challenge – not from conservative family or religious groups but from the science and medical community. Clinicians now believe that modern strains of super-strength cannabis are increasingly triggering psychoses, depression and anxiety disorders in teenagers. Many young people begin smoking cannabis before they have even hit their teens – and experts are warning that the younger the smoker, the greater the risk of mental illness.Transcript contains links to interviews with Dr Andrew Campbell (Sydney psychiatrist), Professor Wayne Hall (Director of Policy and Ethics, Institute for Molecular Bio-Science, Queensland University) and Professor Pat McGorry (Director of the Orygen Youth Health).
(From Auseinet alert service - 17/3/2005)

8th NATIONAL RURAL HEALTH CONFERENCE
The 8th National Rural Health Conference has just finished in Alice Springs. More than 800 delegates discussed, debated and explored issues connected with rural health. ABC Rural's news reports and papers from the conference are published at http://abc.net.au/rural/events/ruralhealth/

OCKHAM'S RAZOR:
Out of sight, out of mind
Sunday 20 March, 8.45am, Radio National
Former Liberal Senator now at the University of Wollongong, Professor Chris Puplick, reports on the shocking and tragic case of Cornelia Rau, which has highlighted the widespread nature and extent of mental illness, and the unsatisfactory and inadequately resourced treatment options. This is the everyday fate of thousands of our fellow Australians who suffer some form of mental illness - instead of being treated, they are imprisoned.

HEALTH REPORT
The placebo effect
Monday 7 March, 8.30am, Radio National
This week a special feature on the placebo effect, focusing on one of the most controversial treatments around - medication for depression. Professor Helen Mayberg from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, has done research in this area. She did brain scans of people taking an active drug versus a placebo to see the placebo effect in action. And Professor Arthur Barsky from Harvard Medical School talks about nocebos. A nocebo is the flipside of the placebo and can actually bring harm. (This a repeat of a program originally broadcast on April 12, 2004.)

Mental Health Services in Australia 2002-03
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare

Mental Health Services in Australia 2002-03 describes the characteristics and activity of Australia's mental health services including ambulatory and residential mental health-related care provided by hospitals, community-based services, general practitioners, private psychiatrists and some disability support services. Information on the broad trends in mental health care is presented in an easy-to-use summary. Detailed statistics show the hospital care of patients admitted with a mental health-related diagnosis, the services, beds, staffing and expenditure in psychiatric hospitals and community-based services, and mental health-related medications prescribed by general practitioners and private psychiatrists. A special theme chapter has been included which presents an overview of the available data on the mental health care of people with schizophrenia.
Click to review the media release and report.
AIHW Catalogue No. HSE-35; Available from CanPrint (ph: 1300 889 873); $34.00

SIEC Alert #57, January 2005

Suicide Prevention and the Internet
In the last decade, the Internet has experienced a phenomenal growth as technology costs continue to fall and more and more people have mainstream access to the network. Statistics show that the Internet represents an increasingly important medium, especially among adolescents and young adults who use it as a source of information and communication. A recent
study by Statistics Canada (2001) showed that 90% of 15-19 year old teenagers had used the Internet in 2000, compared to 53% for the overall population. Since the younger age group is characterized by high suicide rates, it would be wise for the suicide prevention community to capitalize on new Internet-based prevention opportunities while anticipating potential new challenges.

A guide for using the Internet for Suicide Prevention is available at http://www.mcsp.org.au/docs/guide_full.pdf

BMJ

This week in the BMJ
--------------------------------------------
Explaining suicide
http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/reprint/330/7484/0-g?eaf

Suicide: age and deprivation matter in Scotland
http://bmj.com/cgi/content/full/330/7484/0?etoc

Suicide: intelligence matters in Sweden
http://bmj.com/cgi/content/full/330/7484/0-a?etoc

Suicide: nationality matters in Estonia
http://bmj.com/cgi/content/full/330/7484/0-b?etoc

Suicide Rates Have Decreased With Increased Use of SSRIs, New-Generation Non-SSRIs
Laurie Barclay, MD

Suicide rates have dropped in association with increased use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) and new-generation non-SSRIs, according to the results of an analysis of a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) national vital statistics study published in the February issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry. However, the investigators acknowledge that this type of data cannot demonstrate causal relationships.

Medscape Medical News 2005. © 2005 Medscape

WA Eating Disorders Alliance
invites you to an

Eating Disorders Forum

Guest Speaker: Jan Cullis, Bronte's Mum, Director Bronte Foundation Australia and author of "A Journey Shared"
Panel of Speakers: Representing treatment and supportservices for people with eating disorders and theircarers/families.
Phone-In Results: Hear the concerns and issues of peoplecalling the recent eating disorders
Workgroups: Be involved and tell us what's needed in WA forpeople with eating disorders and their carers/families.

VENUE: Labouchere Road, South Perth
DATE: Tuesday 1st March 2005
TIME: 1.00pm to 4.45pm
COST: FREE
Perth Zoo Function Centre
(however places are limited - so please book quickly)
Refreshments & Afternoon Tea provided - please RSVP by 23/2/05 to Belinda
on 9444 5922 or email: belinda.tan@carerswa.asn.au

Taking Young People Seriously - handbooks

The Office for Youth in partnership with the Youth Affairs Council ofVictoria is pleased to introduce Taking Young People Seriously , a series of three practical handbooks to increase young people's participation in their communities:
- Consulting Young People about their Ideas and Opinions - a handbook for organisations working with young people
- Young People on Boards and Committees - a handbook for organisations working with young people
- Creating Change in your Community - a handbook for young people.
Free hard copies of the handbooks are available by calling InformationVictoria on 1300 366 356 or by downloading a copy of the publications form www.youth.vic.gov.au OR www.yacvic.org.au

Copies of the handbooks have been forwarded to local governments, publiclibraries, secondary schools and youth service providers across Victoria.

AeJAMH, Volume 3, Issue 3 is now online and available at: http://www.auseinet.com/journal/.

The table of contents for this issue is:
- Editorial: On social justice (Graham Martin, Editor in Chief)
- Guest Editorial. Engagement of Indigenous clients in mental health services: What role do cultural differences play? (Tracy Westerman)
- Guest Editorial. Commonality, difference and confusion: Changing constructions of Indigenous mental health (Ernest Hunter)
- Guest Editorial. Moving beyond a ‘Seasonal Work Syndrome’ in mental health: Service responsibilities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations (Tom Brideson)
- ‘That’s just the way he is’: Some implications of Aboriginal mental health beliefs (David Vicary and Tracy Westerman)
- Indigenous maps of subjectivity and attacks on linking: Forced separation and its psychiatric sequelae in Australia’s Stolen Generation (Leon Petchkovsky, Craig San Roque, Rachel Napaljarri Jurra and Sally Butler)
- The struggle for systematic ‘adulthood’ for Aboriginal mental health in the mainstream: The Djirruwang Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Mental Health Program (Tom Brideson and Len Kanowski)
- Australian Aboriginal suicide: The need for an Aboriginal suicidology? (Terri Elliott-Farrelly)

WA Association for Mental Health (WAAMH) in conjunction with the WRAP Team and Ruah Inreach presents…
Community Visions for Recovery

• Find out feedback from the WRAP trials
• Find out about successful Auseinet funding applications:
  Ruah Inreach
  WAAMH
  Participate in a Consultation – “Recovery Alliance - the way forward and

Details?
Date: Tuesday 1 February 2005
Time: 1pm (for a 1.30pm start) – 3.30pm
Venue: Conference Room 7, City West Lotteries House
2 Delhi Street, West Perth, Western Australia

All welcome: Consumers, Carers, Service Providers (NGO, Public, Private) etc.
Light refreshments will be provided.
RSVP by Friday 28 January 2005 to WAAMH on:
Tel: (08) 9420 7277
Fax: (08) 9420 7280
Email: waamh@waamh.org.au

Low intelligence test scores in 18 year old men and risk of suicide: cohort study
Gunnell, D., Magnusson, P K E., Rasmussen, F.

The study sought to examine the association between intelligence test scores in men, measured at age 18, and subsequent suicide. During the study 2811 suicides occurred during follow up. The risk of suicide was two to three times higher in those with lowest compared with the highest test scores. The strongest associations were seen with the logic test: for each unit increase in test score the risk of suicide decreased by 12% (95% confidence interval 10% to 14%). Associations were only slightly attenuated when we controlled for parents' socioeconomic position. Greatest risks were seen among poorly performing offspring of well educated parents.

The study concluded that performance in intelligence tests is strongly related to subsequent risk of suicide in men. This may be due to the importance of cognitive ability in either the aetiology of serious mental disorder or an individual's capacity to solve problems while going through an acute life crisis or suffering from mental illness.

BMJ 2005;330:167 (22 January), doi:10.1136/bmj.38310.473565.8F (published 22 December 2004)

Memetics and Social Contagion: Two Sides of the Same Coin?

Following a thematic overview of social contagion research, this paper examines the question of whether this established field of social science and the nascent discipline of memetics can be usefully understood as two sides of the same coin. It is suggested that social contagion research, currently lacking a conceptual framework or organising principle, may be characterised as a body of evidence without theory. Conversely, it is suggested that memetics, now over two decades old but yet to be operationalised, may be characterised as a body of theory without evidence. The article concludes by proposing a memetic theory of social contagion, arguing that social contagion research and memetics are indeed two sides of the same social epidemiological coin, and ends with a call for their synthesis into a comprehensive body of theoretically informed research.


Marsden, P. (1998). Memetics and Social Contagion: Two Sides of the Same Coin? Journal of Memetics - Evolutionary Models of Information Transmission,2.

THE EVOLUTION OF DEPRESSION: DOES IT HAVE A ROLE?
(All In The Mind:15/01/2005)

Major and minor depression, even post partum depression - could they serve an important evolutionary function? Is depression a biological pathology or an adaptation, critical to our reproductive success and survival as aspecies? Natasha Mitchell is joined by two evolutionary biologists who argue that our capacity to be depressed has evolved over millennia to help us cope with difficult social circumstances.

http://www.abc.net.au/rn/science/mind/stories/s1261369.htm

Cultural differences in conceptual models of depression

Members of ethnic minority groups are less likely than white middle class people to seek professional treatment for depression and other mental health problems. One explanation is that the former conceptualize depressive symptoms as social problems or emotional reactions to situations, while the latter are more apt to view depression as a disease requiring professional treatment. Though considerable evidence supports this hypothesis, it is rarely explored directly through cross-cultural comparisons. The present study compares conceptual models of depressive symptoms in two diverse cultural groups in New York City (USA): 36 South Asian (SA) immigrants and 37 European Americans (EA) were presented with a vignette describing depressive symptoms and participated in a semi-structured interview designed to elicit representational models of the symptoms.


Karasz, A. 2005. Cultural differences in conceptual models of depression. Social Science & Medicine Volume 60, Issue 7 , Pages 1625-1635

Social and familial risk factors in suicidal behavior.
Maris RW.
The focus of this article is on the presence or absence of external and constraining social facts, as reflected in indicators like divorce rate, marital status, the number of close friends, loss of crucial significant others, or sometimes having no one who cares if the person lives or dies, feelings of shame or intolerable guilt, the belief of sacrificing one's life for a higher cause or another person, and military suicide. This article reviews the history of the sociology of suicide, social isolation, contagion, imitation, suicide clusters, stress, and negative life events.

Psychiatr Clin North Am. 1997 Sep;20(3):519-50.

CLINICAL PSYCHIATRY
Changeability, confidence, common sense and corroboration: comprehensive suicide risk assessment

Mental health clinicians can be guided by a framework in suicide risk assessment and documentation. The assessment of suicide risk can generate a suicide risk rating for which minimum standards of care can be mandated.

Nick O'Connor , Monica Warby, Beverley Raphael and Tony Vassallo. (2004). Changeability, confidence, common sense and corroboration: comprehensive suicide risk assessment. Australasian Psychiatry.
Volume 12 Issue 4 Page 352

Mental Health Promotion Officer
Directorate: Midwest Murchison region
Org Unit: Population Health
Level: HSU Level 6
Salary: $57,642 - $62,816 per annum
Hours: Full time 76 hours per fortnight
Further Info: Please Contact David Richardson(Manager Primary Health), on:9956 1962
Description: Responsible for planning, coordination, implementation and evaluation of mental health promotion and illness prevention programs
Closing Date: Friday, 28 January 2005
Documentation: Download supporting Documents

Coping Personally after the Tsunamis: Fact sheet
http://www.health.nsw.gov.au/pubs/2004/pdf/tsunamis_fs.pdf
What to expect, ways to cope, and help seeking advice.
Issued by NSW Health, January 2005

How Stigma Interferes With Mental Healthcare: An Expert Interview With Patrick W. Corrigan, PsyD

The stigmatization of people with mental illness is widespread in our society. What is stigma? How does it negatively affect patient outcomes and how can it be reduced? Randall F. White, MD, contributing writer at Medscape, interviewed Patrick W. Corrigan, PsyD, about these issues. Dr. Corrigan is a Professor of Psychiatry and Psychology at Northwestern University and Executive Director of the Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation at Evanston Northwestern Healthcare, both in Evanston, Illinois. He and his collaborators work at the forefront of understanding the stigmatization of people with mental illness in our society.

Conference Report
Culture and Mental Health: Highlights of the 54th Annual Meeting of the Canadian Psychiatric Association
October 14-17, 2004, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

The Canadian Psychiatric Association held its 54th Annual Meeting from October 14 to 17, 2004 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The theme of the meeting was culture and mental health. Below are summaries of selected sessions on the mental health of immigrants and cultural considerations for treatment of mental health issues.

Joshua Fogel, PhD
Posted 11/30/2004

The National Report on Health Sector Performance Indicators 2003
Catalogue No. HWI-78, Available from CanPrint (ph: 1300 889 873)

"Australians' health getting better but there is room for improvement"

The National Report on Health Sector Performance Indicators 2003 is designed to help policy makers and others understand trends and patterns in health, and to identify areas for action. It examines 44 indicators of performance across the three tiers of the NHPC's National Health Performance Framework - health status and outcomes, determinants of health and health system performance.

In general, Australians are living healthier as well as living longer, with significantly lower rates of heart disease, stroke and injury compared with a decade ago. However, diabetes, mental illness and psychological distress are all more common.

There are also still substantial health inequalities in Australia. People living in the most disadvantaged areas have avoidable mortality rates 54% higher than those living in the least disadvantaged areas. But the starkest health inequalities are between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and other Australians. Infant mortality for indigenous Australians is twice as high and, for older people, their chances of dying from circulatory disease, diabetes and injuries due to accidents, suicide and assault are much higher than for other Australians.

The report looks at determinants of health - those which have protective benefits, such as fruit and vegetable intake and physical activity, and those that are hazardous to health, such as overweight and obesity and tobacco use. For example, in 2001, 46% of Australians were sufficiently active to achieve a health benefit and 16% of adult Australians were obese.

Health system performance information in the report includes indicators of effectiveness (such as childhood immunisation rates), responsiveness (such as waiting times in emergency departments) and safety (such as adverse events in hospitals.)

Canberra, 9 December 2004

Depression affects elderly people's lives more than physical illnesses
BMJ 2004;329:1307 (4 December)
Janice Hopkins Tanne

Severe depression impairs elderly patients' lives more than serious medical illnesses, and treatment of depression "has the potential to improve patients' lives in spite of other medical comorbidities," says a multicentre randomised controlled US study published in the Annals of Family Medicine ( 2004;2: 555-562).

Australian Health Promotion Association Conference
Canberra March 13th - 16th 2005

The 'theme 20/20 Vision' focusses on progress to date and a look at the future for health promotion. Plenary speakers will talk on the five action areas of the Ottawa Charter, including Dr. Debra Rickwood, national consultant/writer on mental health policy, on "Reorienting Health Services".

Other specific mental health content is around mental health and schools, stress and health, preventing depression, and resilience. There are workshops on the Mindmatters program and InterCAMHS. A networking session for workers in mental health promotion will discuss the idea of a national association focus/representation either within AHPA or elsewhere, and other current issues for workers in this area.

Important dates
17 DECEMBER 2004 Early bird registration deadline and cut-off date for presenters to register
11 FEBRUARY 2005 Standard registration deadline

For further information
Conference Co-ordinatorsAHPA National Conference Secretariat, PO Box 139 Calwell, ACT 2905 Phone: (02) 6292 9000 Email: ahpa@confco.com.au
Or visit the ACT Health Promotion website: http://www.healthpromotion.act.gov.au

Events
Annual candlelight service
The Compassionate Friends provide support and understanding to bereaved parents and invite you to bring a plate of food and a framed photo of your loved one to place of their table.
WHEN: Sunday December 12, 6.30pm
WHERE: St Georges Cathedral, St Georges Terrace and Cathedral Avenue Perth.
COST: Free, but donations are valued and welcome
CONTACT: 9486 8711

Crisis, Vol. 25, No. 1, 2004

Peer Suicide Prevention in a Prison
Summary: Suicide rates among inmate populations in prisons are considerably higher than in the general population. Suicide prevention is a common need among penal Institutions around the world. Traditional approaches involving only correctional staff in suicide prevention efforts have proven to have their limitations. The involvement of inmates in peer prevention efforts seems to be a reasonable alternative approach. This study examines such a program, called SAMS in the Pen, operated jointly between the prison and the Samaritans of Southern Alberta. This service, the first of its kind in Canada, involved inmate volunteers, known as SAMS, who were trained in listening skills, suicide prevention, and risk assessment. Data was collected for the research from volunteers, correctional staff, general inmate population, and professional staff. However, given the low absolute number in the one institution where the study was carried out, statistical analyses were not practical. As with any new service, the SAMS in the Pen experienced some developmental problems but was perceived to be a worthwhile service to both inmates and staff of the prison.
Keywords: Suicide prevention, prisons, Samaritans, peers

Hall, B & Gabor, P. Peer Suicide Prevention in a Prison (2004). Crisis. Vol. 25, No. 1, 19-26


Complicated Grief in Survivors of Suicide
Summary: Complicated grief is a newly defined and distinctive psychiatric disorder that occurs in response to a significant loss through death. New findings suggest that survivors who were close to the deceased are at heightened risk for complicated grief. Little is known about whether close kinship (spouses, parents, children, siblings, vs. in-laws, aunts/uncles, nieces/nephews, friends, or coworkers) to a suicide victim also represents a heightened risk for complicated grief. Assessing for complicated grief is important, especially with survivors of suicide, because of the potential for associated health risks. This report contains preliminary data from an exploratory, descriptive pilot study examining complicated grief in adult survivors of suicide. Sixty bereaved subjects, within one month after the suicide of a family member or significant other, were assessed for complicated grief symptoms. Statistically significant differences, as measured with the Inventory of Complicated Grief, were noted between closely related and distantly related survivors of the suicide victim. These preliminary results indicate that health care professional's assessments and interventions for complicated grief should take into consideration the bereaved's familial and/or social relationship to the deceased. The closely related survivors of suicide had higher levels of complicated grief and could be at risk of developing physical and/or mental health problems, including suicidal ideation, in the future.
Keywords: Bereavement, complicated grief, grief, suicide, survivors of suicide

Mitchell, A.M., Kim, Y., Prigerson, H.G. & Mortimer-Stephens, K. Complicated Grief in Survivors of Suicide. 2004. Crisis. Vol. 25, No. 1, 12-18

Kids Help Line Newsletter.
November Edition

Over the past decade there has been an increasing level of concern about the welfare of boys and young men in Australia. Higher rates of completed suicide, homelessness, incarceration, and poorer educational and health outcomes for young males compared with females is disturbingly juxtaposed to lower rates of help seeking by males. In an attempt to discover why males are more reluctant to seek help and what may prevent them from expressing their needs readily, Kids Help Line surveyed 422 young males. A key aspect of the survey focused on how ofen boys talk about their feelings and concerns.

Australian e-Journal for the Advancement of Mental Health (AeJAMH)

Volume 3, Issue 2, August 2004
Contents
Download all the editorials/abstracts for this issue (~80kb), or the full issue (~309Kb).

Editorial - On accountability
Professor Graham Martin

Guest Editorial - Suicide prevention: part of the way there?
Robert Kosky, Consulting Editor

Guest Editorial - Growing up with a parent with a mental illness - a personal perspective
Paola Mason

Consulting with young people about service guidelines relating to parental mental illness
Elizabeth Fudge and Paola Mason

When is it serious enough? The protection of children of parents with a mental health problem, tough decisions and avoiding a 'martyred' child
Carolyn Cousins

Kick'n'On: Helping young males kick back into life
Chris Lloyd, Phillip Lee Williams and Dan Sullivan

Factors predicting program fidelity and delivery of an early intervention program for first episode psychosis in rural Australia
Richard O'Kearney, Graham Garland, Mark Welch, Len Kanowski and Sylvia Fitzgerald

Key National Indicators of Children's Health, Development and Wellbeing
AIHW Bulletin No. 20.

Monitoring the progress of Australia's children is central to the National Agenda for Early Childhood (Department of Family and Community Services, 2004). The AIHW has been monitoring the health, development and wellbeing of Australia's children since 1996 with funding from the Department of Health and Ageing. To date the Institute has produced four comprehensive national reports in this area-Australia's Children (published in 1998 and 2002) and Australia's Young People (published in 1999 and 2003). In keeping in line with a new emphasis on a whole of government cross-sectoral approach to childhood policy, the AIHW has broadened its reporting framework in this area to encompass a wider set on influences on childhood development. This work has been guided by an Advisory Committee comprising key experts and jurisdictional representatives, the Australian Government Taskforce on Child Development, and the Australian Council for Children and Parenting. This bulletin provides an overview of the key indicators to be published in A Picture of Australia's Children 2005, as
part of a national program of indicator development, data collection and regular reporting.

Public Health Association of New Zealand Conference 2005
Making the Links for Public Health

Invitation to submit an abstract to Public Health Association of New Zealand
Conference.

Close date for abstracts January 28th 2005. Details for submitting abstract
online are on http://www.pha.org.nz/ or contact pha@actrix.co.nz or telephone (04)
472-3060

The theme, Making the Links for Public Health, will flow through the five
streams of the Conference:
1. Reducing inequalities in health
2. Sustainable development
3. Public health law and public policy
4. Place-based public health initiatives
5. Research and evaluation methods

Mental Health Workshop

The Office of Mental Health and Statewide Public Mental Health Services are seeking the views of mental health consumers and carers on a structure for participation in mental health services. A consumer and carer workshop has been organised for Friday 12th November, 10am-12.30pm, at the City West Function Centre

This workshop will provide a chance to express your views on how consumer and carer participation in mental health services should be supported. It is hoped that the workshop will cover a wide range of issues, including:
- What should formal consumer/carer participation services look like?
- What do you want out of a participation service?
- Should consumer and carer participation services be run by the same organisation?
- Who should oversee this organisation/s?
- How will we know when we've got it right?
- What are the range of consumer/carer participation roles and activities?

Following this workshop a participation reference group will be established with a work plan and objectives. The Office of Mental Health will seek consumer and carer representation on this reference group.
Light refreshments will be served during the workshop. A light lunch will also be provided after the workshop.
RSVP: Please contact Kylie at the Office of Mental Health on 08 9222 4405 to confirm your attendance.
The Office of Mental Health has a small budget for rural and remote travel expenses; please contact Kylie for further information.

Information extracted from Carers WA newslink 2004

COMING UP ON INSIGHT...TEENAGE DEPRESSION
TUESDAY 9 NOVEMBER,7.30pm.
Last year over 250,000 antidepressant prescriptions were issued to teenagers, and children as young as five. Yet no antidepressant has ever been approved by Australia’s drug regulatory body for use with adolescents. INSIGHT examines the growth in what is termed teenage depression and its treatment. Are all anti depressant drugs safe for adolescents ? INSIGHT has an exclusive interview with Susan Crane whose daughter Vivian committed suicide after being prescribed the antidepressant Zoloft. Neither mother or daughter were warned of the dangers associated with the use of the antidepressants. Susan Crane feels that the tragedy may not have happened if they had been made aware of the risks. Why do GPs continue to prescribe antidepressants to adolescents when there are well known risks? Some doctors argue that they have little choice as there are insufficient mental health resources to service the needs of young people. And is it possible that we are too quick to diagnose the ‘normal anxiety and drama’ of adolescence as clinical depression?

A panel including British child psychiatrist David Healey, Dr Jon Juriedini, Dr Choon Yiew Soong, and Professor Ian Hickie and many adolescents who’ve been diagnosed as ‘depressive’ will discuss this issue next
Tuesday on Insight.

* PLEASE NOTE, INSIGHT IS REPEATED ON FRIDAYS AT 1PM

Selling smaller packs of painkillers slashes suicide risk
UK legislation on analgesic packs: before and after study of long term effect on poisonings

Selling paracetamol and other painkillers in smaller pack sizes has slashed rates of suicide and damage to the liver from paracetamol poisoning, concludes a study on bmj.com this week. Suicides from overdoses of paracetamol or aspirin dropped nearly a quarter in the three years following new legislation in 1998, which cut pack sizes and limited how many tablets a retailer was allowed to sell. The researchers also found that numbers of tablets taken in non-fatal overdoses of aspirin and paracetamol fell significantly after the legislation. As a result admissions to liver units for paracetamol poisoning, and numbers of related liver transplants also dropped heavily - down by nearly a third (30%) in the four years after the laws came into force. Researchers analysed rates of suicides and non-fatal overdoses from paracetamol, salicylates (aspirin) and ibuprofen across the UK between 1993and 2003. While overdosing from paracetamol and salicylates - both covered by the new laws - decreased, patterns of overdosing from ibuprofen, which was not targeted in the legislation, remained roughly the same. Although smaller pack sizes do not prevent someone from buying multiple packs from various retailers, many of those who overdose do so impulsively - using tablets to hand in the home, say the authors. Smaller pack sizes will prevent deaths, say the authors. Their research provides a persuasive argument to reduce pack sizes still further, they conclude.

For further information contact Sue Simkin, senior researcher, Centre for Suicide Research, University of Oxford Department of Psychiatry,Warneford Hospital, Oxford, UK Email: sue.simkin@psych.ox.ac.uk

MindMatters National Conference
“Going Well ”
Novotel, Brighton Beach, Sydney
18–19 March 2005
Pre-conference workshops 17 March 2005

Our theme explores our resources and experiences in ‘going well’ as individuals, schools and community.
The main conference workshops and features are:
• The Media and Health & Wellbeing
• Internet and intranet resources
• Staff Matters — our new resource
• The launch of the new MindMatters video
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives
• Families Matter
• MindMatters Plus — schools talk about supporting students with high needs
• Leadership and Health & Wellbeing
• Evaluating Health & Wellbeing
• Primary schools and Health & Wellbeing

The Pre-conference workshops include:
• Australian Divisions of General Practice and schools
• MindMatters Plus schools
• Health & Wellbeing for Principals
• Families Matter training for parents, families and schools
• ResponseAbility — the tertiary perspective
• Student Leadership

Help-seeking behaviours of suicidal men aged 17-35 years: A consumer consultation and participation pilot project.

To respond to the increasing rate of suicide among men aged 17-35 years in Western Australia, the Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing funded the Ministerial Council for Suicide Prevention to conduct research and consultation on a range of issues related to men and suicidal behaviour, including help-seeking, service provision and access to services.

The project was conducted between December 2002 to July 2004, with data collected between September 2003 and May 2004.

The central task of the project was to gain information from men themselves regarding their attitudes to, and knowledge of, suicide, their behaviours in dealing with their own suicidal ideation or knowledge of how other people deal with their suicidal ideation, and their experiences when seeking help either from professionals or from family, friends and informal networks. The project also consulted carers, community members and service providers to explore their experiences of supporting suicidal men thereby obtaining more holistic view of the issues. Consultations targeted individuals and services in Perth metropolitan and outer-metropolitan areas.

Positions Available
Department of Justice
Manager Suicide Prevention
003180
Level 7: $73,030 - $78,274 pa (PSGA)

WORK TYPE: Permanent - Full Time
LOCATION: Offender Services
JOB DESCRIPTION: The Manager Suicide Prevention oversees and continuously refines the policy and practice of a comprehensive suicide prevention strategy for the Prisons Division.The position provides support for operational prison based teams, ongoing monitoring of suicide prevention standards and implementation of relevant strategies and identifies and coordinates suicide prevention training. The Manager is also responsible for fostering and maintaining relevant partnerships and networks to ensure a comprehensive suicide prevention strategy.
JOB APPLICATION PACKAGE: jobs.wa.gov.au or 08 9476 0011

Diagnostic Complexities and Treatment Issues in Childhood Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar disorder in children was previously thought to be an uncommon occurrence. It is becoming increasingly recognized that bipolar disorder commonly presents in childhood and early adolescence. However, the diagnostic process is complex in youth. The developmentally specific and variable presentation that characterizes pediatric bipolar disorder leads to diagnostic confusion, yet the impact of bipolar disorder on the psychosocial and psychological development of children and adolescents is significant. Early diagnosis and treatment of bipolar disorder may decrease the symptoms and possibly alter the course of illness. Treatment options for bipolar disorder are expanding rapidly, and the clinician is now better able to treat the disorder while minimizing side effects.

DelBello, M.P (2004) Diagnostic Complexities and Treatment Issues in Childhood Bipolar Disorder. Medscape Psychiatry & Mental Health 9 (2)

Carers Week 17-23 October 2004
Carers Week is a national awareness week held during October each year in Australia. The event was established to promote and raise awareness of the valuable role that carers play in our community and to generate discussion about carer issues. Carers Week also provides an opportunity for carers to come together, support one another and share ideas and information.

The theme for Carers Week 2004 is - 'Health and Wellbeing' and the focus will be to:
- Raise awareness of the extra role that carers take on, and the health issues they may face
- Support carers to take action which positively enhances their own health and wellbeing

For more information go to on carers week events and the Carers Week calendar visit: www.carersaustralia.com.au

The Australian Psychological Society Ltd
INTEREST GROUP ON CHILD, ADOLESCENT AND FAMILY PSYCHOLOGY (W A)
Professional Development Programme 2004

"Working together: Interagency collaboration on children who have a parent with Mental Illness"
presented by Anna Clippingdale, Senior Program Officer, Office of Mental Health and Professor David Hay, School of Psychology Curtin University

Date: Monday, October 25th, 2004
Venue: Ruah Centre NORTHBRIDGE 33 Shenton Street (cnr John St.) Opposite Russell Square.
Time: 6:30 pm, Light Supper 7:00 pm
Seminar Cost: $5 CAFPIG members & students. $10 non-members
Please RSVP to Carole Gamsby on 6304 5626 Fax: 6304 5834 or e-mail c.gamsby@ecu.edu.au

In late 2002 the report "Pathways to Resilience" was launched, identifying for WA the needs of children with a parent who has mental illness (COPMI). Since then, a Statewide Strategic Committee has worked on how best to implement services for these children. Anna will outline the initiatives to help agencies collaborate on the support of COPMI and David will discuss the issues in prioritising workforce development - who needs additional skilling and awareness of how other agencies see the same family. Both Anna and David will discuss the difficult issue of why agencies feel they need to intervene with these children and how their intervention could be evaluated.

ABC Radio National
IN CONVERSATION: Devils, Drugs and Doctors
Thursday 21 October, 2.15pm

Dr Tony Kidman has written a short history of depression - an ailment suffered by the young people he treats. What is the choice of therapies? What horrors did folk of old have to endure? And what are the prospects forthe remarkably large percentage of Australians who are
depressed?

Medical Journal of Australia - year 2004 - volume 181 - issue 7 - part SUPPL
Depression: Reducing the Burden
4 October 2004

Table of contents
---------------------------------------------------------------
Reducing the burden of depression: Are we making progress in Australia?
Hickie, I.B
---------------------------------------------------------------
"How much more can we lose?": Carer and family perspectives on living with a person with depression
Highet, N.J., McNair, B.G., Davenport, T.A & Hickie, I.B
---------------------------------------------------------------
Suicide and mental health in rural, remote and metropolitan areas in Australia
Caldwell, T.M., Jorm, A.F. & Dear, K.B.G
---------------------------------------------------------------
General practitioners' response to depression and anxiety in the Australian community: A preliminary analysis
Hickie, I.B., Pirkis, J.E., Blashki, G.A., Groom, G.L. & Davenport, T.A
---------------------------------------------------------------
Making new choices about antidepressants in Australia: The long view 1975-2002
Mant, A., Rendle, V.A., Hall, W.D., Mitchell, P.B., Montgomery, W.S., McManus, P.R. & Hickie, I.B
---------------------------------------------------------------
Overdose in young people using heroin: Associations with mental health, prescription drug use and personal circumstances
Burns, J.M., Martyres, R.F., Clode, D. & Boldero, J.M
---------------------------------------------------------------
Effectiveness of complementary and self-help treatments for anxiety disorders
Jorm, A.F., Christensen, H., Griffiths, K..M., Parslow, R.A. Rodgers, B.B & Kelly, A.
---------------------------------------------------------------
Experience with treatment services for people with bipolar disorder
Highet, N.J., McNair, B.G., Thompson, M., Davenport, T.A - Hickie, I.B
---------------------------------------------------------------
A National Depression Index for Australia
Mackinnon, A., Jorm, A.F. & Hickie, I.B

Adolescent depression and suicide risk: Association with sex and drug behavior

Depression is common among adolescents, and suicide is the third leading cause of death among 15- to 19-year-olds. Although both health problems have been associated with drug use and early sexual intercourse, the relationship has not been systematically studied in a nationally representative sample.

The study found that teens engaging in risk behaviors are at increased odds for depression, suicidal ideation, and suicide attempts. Although causal direction has not been established, involvement in any sex or drug use is cause for concern, and should be a clinical indication for mental health screening for girls; both boys and girls should be screened if engaging in any marijuana or illegal drug use.

The full citation of the article is:
Hallfors, D.D., Waller, M.W., Ford, C.A., Halpern, C.T., Brodish, P.H and Iritani, B. Adolescent depression and suicide risk: Association with sex and drug behavior. 2004. American Journal of Preventive Medicine 27 (3) : 224-231

Focus on Carers Symposium 2004
"We must be the change we want to see "

21 October 2004
Opens 7.45am to 5.30pm
Buswood Convention Centre, Perth

The symposium examines the four key components that are vital in meeting the needs of people with a caring role.
Program Topics
1. Recognition: Carer friendly community
How do we create a caring culture which values and respects carers? Learn of models that recognise, involve and consider the caring role.
2. Methods: Carer friendly practices
How are services developing and responding to carer needs?
3. Relationships: Caring together
How do we nurture relationships built on listening to, understanding and supporting each other?
4. Health & well-being: Caring for myself
What we need to do to look after ourselves, taking steps to feel good inside and out.

All enquiries prior to the symposium can be directed to the appointed Symposium Manager:
EventEdge International, on (08) 9387 1488 or at info@eventedge.com.au.

Positions available

Manager, Bentley Community HealthSouth Metropolitan Area Health ServicePosition no: 003356
Level 9, $75,521-$78,118
Responsible to manage and lead the Community Health program in the Bentley region and for the ongoing management of community health services in the Bentley area. Working as part of the Population Health management team, developing and implementing the business and strategic plans for the service. The Manager will develop and maintain relationships with community stakeholders across the region with the aim of optimising service delivery by building effective partnerships.Further job related information contact Mandy Seel 9431 0200.
For job application package visit jobs.wa.gov.au or phone 9431 2474
Closing date: 4pm Friday 29 October

Community Safety Month
For the first time in Western Australia, the State Government will host community Safety Month in October, 2004. The month aims to raise awareness of safety and injury prevention through the showcasing of government and non-government community safety progress, events and activities - and the role they play in building safer communities.
Community Safety Month will focus on the following themes:

• Injury Prevention
• Crime Prevention
• Road Safety
• Fire and Emergency Services
• Women's Safety

Details of community safety activities and injury prevention events during Community Safety month can be found by visiting the website: www.communitysafetymonth.wa.gov.au (Extracted from, Injury Control Council of WA, October 2004 newsletter).

ABC THE HEALTH REPORT
The end of stress as we know it

Monday 4 October, 8.30am, Radio National
Stress is a term that is often over-used and misunderstood. Professor Bruce McEwen of Rockefeller University in New York City has written a book titled 'The End of Stress as we know it'. He claims that once people have read this book they will not think of stress in the same way as before. The book, whose co-author is science writer Elizabeth Norton Lasley, deals with the biology and psychology of stress. In this week's Health Report, Professor McEwen talks about his work and ideas on stress.

Positions available

Youth and Family Service Manager (Youth Focus)
We seek a highly experienced full-time professional with appropriate qualifications to co-ordinate and ensure best practice in the delivery and development of services provided by Youth Focus to young people 12-18 yrs and their families, showing early signs associated with suicide and deliberate self-harm.

The successful applicant will have a minimum of 10 years experience in, and commitment to, the youth field, including a background in development, implementation and evaluation of therapeutic support programmes. The applicant will have qualifications in management and substantial experience as a programme manager. The applicant will have knowledge of industry issues, a thorough understanding of engaging young people with complex/multiple issues and an ability to secure funding.

The Youth & Family Services Manager will hold a senior position reporting to the CEO with an involvement in strategic direction and service development. An attractive salary package of $65,000 - $75,000 is offered. Previous applicants need not apply. Applicants must include a curriculum vitae and selection criteria response. For an application package, please telephone 9362 4222 or email youthfocus@yct.asn.au. Applications should be addressed to CEO, Youth Focus, 54 Goodwood Parade, Burswood, 6100 or emailed to jenny@yct.ash.au by 8th October 2004

Services Manager (Youth Focus)
Fulltime with some evening and weekend work required
(Salary Package - $65,000 - $74,000)

POSITION OBJECTIVE
To coordinate and ensure best practice in the delivery and development of services provided by Youth Focus to young people (12-18 years) and their families showing early signs associated with suicide and deliberate self-harm.

PRINCIPAL DUTIES AND RESP0NSIBILITIES
- To maintain overall management and clinical standards of Youth Focus' Youth and Family Services.
- To ensure the ongoing promotion and development of Youth Focus programs and services as a 'centre of excellence'.
- To adopt a lead role in the promotion and ongoing development and implementation of agency policy and procedures.
- To work in partnership with the CEO to review and develop strategic direction and appropriate service response/s.
- To be responsible for the administration of the Services budget.
- To compile and present annual Business Plan, agency statistics, and written reports to meet funding body and organisational requirements.
- To promote and represent Youth Focus on local, state and national committees and working parties as required and to undertake regular formal and informal networking.
- To work alone and in partnership with Youth Focus personnel as well as external organisations in order to source and secure ongoing and future funding.
- To ensure ongoing and effective evaluation of Youth Focus’ services.
- To ensure that all targets and funding conditions of funding agreements are met to a level of excellence.
- To liaise daily with the CEO to ensure effective management of the agency.
- To provide professional supervision and clinical direction for Youth and Families Service senior staff.
- To ensure that Youth and Family Services works in partnership with other areas and aspects of the organisation, in order to deliver a efficient and effective service to clients, sponsors and partners.
- Participation in appropriate training and professional development.
- As part of the team, work to ensure the values, purpose and vision of Youth Focus is upheld.Other duties within the scope of the position.


For an application package, please telephone 9362 4222 or email youthfocus@yct.asn.au. Applications should be addressed to CEO, Youth Focus, 54 Goodwood Parade, Burswood, 6100 or emailed to jenny@yct.ash.au by 8th October 2004.

Fetal Growth Restriction, Adverse Maternal Conditions Affect Offspring's Suicidal Risk

"Adverse pregnancy and maternal-related conditions are associated with an increased risk of suicide in adolescent offspring, prospective study results from Sweden suggest. Dr. Danuta Wasserman and colleagues at Karolinska Institute in Stockholm performed their cohort study by data linkage of six Swedish registers: the medical birth register, the 1990 population and housing census, the multi-generation register, the cause of death register, the inpatient care register and the register of the total population. "

"As they report in the September 25th issue of The Lancet, their analysis included approximately 700,000 individuals born between 1973 and 1980. They specifically looked at factors affecting attempted or completed suicide between the ages of 10 and 26 years. " Medscape

Fetal Growth Restriction, Adverse Maternal Conditions Affect Offspring's Suicidal Risk. 2004. Lancet (364), p 1102-1103, 1135-1140.

"Being in a Funk": Teens’ Efforts to Understand Their Depressive Experiences
Jennifer P. Wisdom and Carla A. Green

"Although there is literature about adults’ experiences of depression, little research has focused on teenagers’ experiences. In this article, the authors describe how a sample of adolescents makes sense of depression and responds to a depression diagnosis. Twenty-two adolescents participated in in-depth individual or focus group interviews. Teens discussed their experiences with depression and getting health care for depression, and described a trajectory similar to that found among adults: a slow growth of distress, a time of being in a funk, and a time of consideration of whether they are depressed. Teens who received a diagnosis from a medical provider then sought to make sense of their depression. Teens understood a depression diagnosis as a helpful label, a chronic medical problem, or a significant part of their identity. Understanding the subjective experience of adolescents who are depressed might increase health care providers’empathy and improve their communication with teens. "

Wisdom, J.P and Green, C.A (2004) Being in a funk: Teens' efforts to understand their depressive experiences. Qualitative Health Research (14) 1227-1238

Methodology of the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System
September 24, 2004

"CDC developed the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) to monitor six categories of priority health-risk behaviors among youth behaviors that contribute to unintentional injuries and violence; tobacco use; alcohol and other drug use; sexual behaviors that contribute to unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, including human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection; unhealthy dietary behaviors; and physical inactivity plus overweight. These risk behaviors contribute markedly to the leading causes of death, disability, and social problems among youth and adults in the United States."

ABC radio
Self harm 16 August 2004
Deliberate self harm is not uncommon in Australian youth, especially among girls. A Queensland study has looked at self harm among high school students on the Gold Coast with worrying results.

Bipolar Disorder 9 August 2004
ABC sports broadcaster Craig Hamilton talks about his own personal experiences with bipolar disorder. And Australian researchers recently published the results of a study looking at the prevalence and disability of bipolar disorder in Australia. Professor Philip Mitchell from the School of Psychiatry at the University of New South Wales talks about the findings of this investigation.

Study identifies adolescents' attitudes about coping and help-seeking strategies in response to suicidal thoughts and behaviours

"Suicide prevention and health promotion programs aimed at encouraging adolescents to seek appropriate help from professionals need to not only enhance [adaptive] coping strategies, but also explicitly address adolescents' maladaptive coping strategies," note the authors of an article published in the September 2004 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. Suicide is the third leading cause of death among adolescents, yet little is known about the factors associated with adolescents' attitudes about coping with suicidal thoughts in their peers or themselves. The article presents findings from a study to identify adolescents' attitudes about coping and help-seeking strategies for suicidal ideation/behavior and to examine the demographic and clinical correlates of these attitudes.

The full citation of the article is:
Gould MS, Velting D, Kleinman M, et al. 2004. Teenagers' attitudes about coping strategies and help-seeking behavior for suicidality. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry 43(9):1124-1133.

Combination Treatment Most Effective in Adolescents with Depression

A clinical trial of 439 adolescents with major depression has found a combination of medication and psychotherapy to be the most effective treatment. Funded by the NIH's National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), the study compared cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) with fluoxetine, currently the only antidepressant approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use in children and adolescents. John March, M.D., Duke University, and colleagues, report on findings of the multi-site trial in the August 18, 2004, Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

ABC Radio does it again...

ABC radio had run several programs about mental health issues recently.

Worried Children - how anxious should we be?
This program was aired on "All in the Mind" on ABC Radio National on 14 August 2004.

When should you be anxious about an anxious child? Child anxiety can mean not wanting to leave mum or dad's side, complaints of tummy aches, and fears about trying new challenges, going to school, and meeting other kids. The link between child anxiety and depression later in life is becoming much clearer. This week, All in the Mind looks at innovative efforts to target parents with anxious children in regional New South Wales, who are starved for support services. The idea is to get in early, before anxiety becomes a disabling life pattern into adulthood.

Bipolar Disorder
The Health Report aired this story on 9 August 2004.

ABC sports broadcaster Craig Hamilton talks about his own personal experiences with bipolar disorder. And Australian researchers recently published the results of a study looking at the prevalence and disability of bipolar disorder in Australia. Professor Philip Mitchell from the School of Psychiatry at the University of New South Wales talks about the findings of this investigation.

In additon, All in the Mind is airing a story on bipolar disorder on 21 August. The transcript of this story will be added once it is available (approximately 26 August)

International Conference on Mental Health Promotion and Prevention

15 - 17 September 2004, Auckland
From Research to Effective Practice
The Third World Conference on The Promotion of Mental Health and Prevention of Mental and Behavioural Disorders
For further information phone: 09 300 7010 
or Email: conference@mentalhealth.org.nz

Antidepressants and the Risk of Suicidal Behaviors

This new article from The Journal of the American Medical Association looks at the link between selective seratonin inhibitors and suicide ideation. The article concludes:

"The risk of suicidal behavior after starting antidepressant treatment is similar among users of amitriptyline, fluoxetine, and paroxetine compared with the risk among users of dothiepin. The risk of suicidal behavior is increased in the first month after starting antidepressants, especially during the first 1 to 9 days. A possible small increase in risk (bordering statistical significance) among those starting the newest antidepressant, paroxetine, is of a magnitude that could readily be due to uncontrolled confounding by severity of depression. Based on limited information, we also conclude that there is no substantial difference in effect of the 4 drugs on people aged 10 to 19 years."

This article is not available online without a subscription to the journal, so contact your library to for assistance in accessing it. The ABC Science website has a good summary of the findings along with links to the Australian Theraputic Good Administration website, reviewing the safety of antidepressants for adolescents.

The full citation for the JAMA article is:
Jick H, Kaye JA, Jick SS. Antidepressants and the Risk of Suicidal Behaviors. Journal of the American Medical Association 2004; 292 (3): 338-343

Therapists as Survivors of Suicide
During their career, therapists may face the death of a client by suicide - a potentially traumatic experience. This site, from the Clinician Survivor Task Force of the American Association of Suicidology provides a variety of resources including an extensive bibliography and personal accounts from clinicians.

Paracetomal and suicide
An interview by ABC's Stateline program in Queensland about the incidence of paracetamol overdoses, and possible action that may reduce it. It includes an interview with Diego De Leo, and a discussion of the effects of the Heron paracetamol recall in 2000.

beyondblue: the national depression initiative - Australia's media joins the fight against stigma and ignorance
Beyone Blue launched a national intitative to raise awareness about depression, and reduce the stigma associated with it. The site quotes:

Less than 5% of respondents identified depression as a major health problem (despite the fact depression is the leading cause of disability in Australia), citing cancer (47%) and heart disease (40%) as bigger health problems.

Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report

The latest issue of this report from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has a number of articles about suicide, including reports on suicide in China, and US school associated suicides.

Resilience in Mental Illness
All in the Mind - ABC Radio National 15 May

Margaret Cook and Pauline Miles are well known figures in West Australia’s mental health advocacy community. Born as identical twins in Wales, they grew up in the UK with a mother with major mental illness and a shared history of abuse. Now themselves parents of adult children, they join Natasha Mitchell this week to reflect on their own experiences of hospitalization in psychiatric wards, the search for identity in suffering, and inspiration in healing, activism and awareness.

A systematic review of the incidence of schizophrenia: the distribution of rates
and the influence of sex, urbanicity, migrant status and methodology.
This new paper from a team at the University of Queensland looks at variations in the distribution of schizophrenia.

Help-seeking behaviour and the Internet: An investigation among Australian
adolescents
From the Australian e-Journal for the Advancement of Mental Health (AeJAMH), Vol. 3, Issue 1, 2004:

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of a brief school-based intervention on help-seeking behaviour among Australian adolescents. The aim of the intervention was to encourage adolescents to seek help, focusing on the use of the Reach Out! website (www.reachout.com.au) as a help-seeking source. Male and female adolescents were compared.

Antidepressant Medications for Children: Information for Parents and Caregivers
This is the latest information about antidepressant medications for children from the US National Institute of Mental Health.

Mental Health Services in Australia 2001-02
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare has released a new report looking at mental health services in Australia.

"Mental Health Services in Australia 2001-02 describes the characteristics and activity of Australia's mental health services including ambulatory and residential mental health-related care provided by hospitals, community-based services, general practitioners, private psychiatrists and some disability support services. Information on the broad trends in mental health care is presented in an easy-to-use summary. Detailed statistics show the hospital care of patients admitted with a mental health-related diagnosis, the services, beds, staffing and expenditure in psychiatric hospitals and community-based services, and mental health-related medications prescribed by general practitioners and private psychiatrists. A special theme chapter has been included for the first time, presenting an overview of the available data on the mental health care of people with depression. "

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors in childhood depression: systematic review of published versus unpublished data
This article was published in the latest edition of The Lancet. Free registration is required to access the abstract and subscription is required to access the full text. Contact your library for assistance in accessing the full text.

"Published data suggest a favourable risk-benefit profile for some SSRIs; however, addition of unpublished data indicates that risks could outweigh benefits of these drugs (except fluoxetine) to treat depression in children and young people. Clinical guideline development and clinical decisions about treatment are largely dependent on an evidence base published in peer-reviewed journals. Non-publication of trials, for whatever reason, or the omission of important data from published trials, can lead to erroneous recommendations for treatment. Greater openness and transparency with respect to all intervention studies is needed."

Full citation: Craig J Whittington, Tim Kendall, Peter Fonagy, David Cottrell, Andrew Cotgrove, Boddington E. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors in childhood depression: systematic review of published versus unpublished data. The Lancet 2004;363(9418):1341-1345.

Tracking Tragedy: A systemic look at suicides and homicides amongst mental health inpatients.
This report was released by the NSW government in December 2003. From the report:

"There is a common perception that any suicide death or homicide by a person in contact with public mental health services represents a failure on the part of mental health services. This is not always so, as will be discussed later in the report. Mental health services in general do a very effective job of managing people with severe mental illness, as detailed below, and in all likelihood prevent many incidents of minor and major self-harm, and violence towards others. Indicative data from NSW Health shows that of 22,061 admitted patients’ episodes of care in public psychiatric hospitals and mental health units of general public hospitals in 2002-3, there were 8 possible suicide deaths of patients who were in care as inpatients at the time of their death. In the 3-year period from 2000-1 to 2002-3, there were almost 62,000 admitted patient episodes of care. During this time there were 8 homicides perpetrated by patients in contact with mental health services. While the incidence of death might be extremely low, it is not, as would be preferred, zero."

Using the Internet for Suicide Prevention: A Guide

The Ministerial Council for Suicide Prevention is pleased to announce the release of its latest research publication Using the Internet for Suicide Prevention: A Guide.

From the introduction:

"The rapid development and use of the Internet in delivering information and fostering interactions has created new forms of communication. This guide has been developed to assist consumers and professionals in accessing suicide prevention information, counselling and chat rooms on the Internet.

It provides practical, easy steps that will assist users to assess and select the most appropriate, sound website that best meets their needs. It also provides a useful resource for organisations developing a suicide prevention website. Although other organisations have developed guidelines for information sites and ethical standards for Internet counselling, this resource incorporates the specific issues for users in the context of suicide prevention."

The publication is available in pdf format from the Ministerial Council's website or print copies can be ordered. Order forms are available on the website.

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.