What's New?
Effective Free Online Therapy for Anxiety and Depression
CRUfADclinic (www.crufadclinic.org) from the Clinical Research Unit for Anxiety and Depression at St Vincent’s Hospital, Sydney and the School of Psychiatry at the University of New South Wales offers online cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) for Depression, Generalised Anxiety Disorder, Panic Disorder and Social Phobia.
Courses are free and suitable for patients who suffer low to moderate anxiety and depression. As part of the ATAPS initiative, the Department of Health and Ageing is fully subsidising the cost of CRUfADclinic to patients and clinicians associated with a Rural Divisions.
Cost:
Free, simply register on https://www.crufadclinic.org/index.php/clinician-registration or download the instructional letter and follow the simple steps.
Benefits:
- Efficacy has been established in randomised control trials. The courses produce improvements comparable or better than good face to face treatment with NNT = 2
- Clinicians time can be reduced considerably without compromising clinical outcomes or acceptability
- Program is delivered via the internet, thereby guaranteeing fidelity and consistent delivery
- Patients find our courses very convenient, particularly because they can be done from home and outside of working hours
- It is much more cost-effective for patients, as the entire course costs less than one visit to a psychologist or psychiatrist
- The program is interactive, appealing and engaging with adults
For more information go to www.crufadclinic.org/ or see flyer.
Mental Health Coordinating Council
The Mental Health Rights Manual: A Consumer Guide to the Legal and Human Rights of People with Mental Illness in NSW (3rd Edition) 2011
MHCC has launched the online Mental Health Rights Manual: A Consumer Guide to the Legal and Human Rights of People with Mental Illness in NSW (3rd Edition) 2011.
The launch on 25 May 2011 at Hyde Park Barracks in Sydney was attended by Minister Kevin Humphries and a number of notable people from both the mental health and legal fraternities. The project has been supported by the NSW Law and Justice Foundation.
The Manual is a concise and comprehensive online resource enabling anyone with a query about their mental health rights under NSW legislation to navigate the complex terrain of mental health and the law. It will enable them to become acquainted with their rights and obligations, and to find out where they can access support, information and guidance for themselves or those that they wish to assist.
This Manual has been written with the help of the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) to present information with as much legal accuracy as possible in a form easily digestible for anyone interacting with the legal and mental health systems in NSW.
Consultations with consumers and carers were conducted which provided an invaluable direction for the Manual's contents, as has the engagement of advocates and key organisations operating in the mental health and legal sectors. The result is that we have a resource that is a 'living document' that can be updated to maintain currency and in a form that can be accessed easily by people anywhere and anytime. This can be vital in times of urgent need for information or support.
Professor Hilary Astor, the NSW Law Reform Commissioner launched the Manual, together with Allison Kokany, Chair NSW Consumer Advisory Group and Geoff Mulherin, Director of the Law and Justice Foundation.
For further information about the manual go to the MHCC website at www.mhcc.org.au and to click on the NSW Mental Health Rights Manual button.
Seventeenth ATAPS Interim Evaluation Report Supplement Third report of the Perinatal Depression Initiative: Consumers, their treatment and outcomes
This current report considers the achievements of the Perinatal Depression Initiative specifically in terms of:
- The uptake by GPs, allied health professionals, and consumers;
- The profile of consumers and the care they are receiving; and
- The resulting consumer outcomes.
Data were extracted from the minimum dataset for the period April 2008 to December 2010. During this period, 1,450 professionals (1043 GPs and 407 allied health professionals) participated in the initiative and 6,591 (3130 urban; 3461 rural) sessions of care were delivered to 1,347 consumers. The number of referrals and sessions delivered peaked in 2010. Consumers referred to the initiative have primarily been female, low income earners who experienced severe levels of psychological distress. CBT-based cognitive, CBT-based behavioural and psycho-educational interventions were the most commonly delivered treatments. Consumers have responded well to the care that they have received making both statistically significant and clinically meaningful gains when assessed by standardised mental health outcome measures.
Click here to download the report.
If you have any queries about the report, please do not hesitate to contact support@boimhc.org.
Fourth interim report for the evaluation of the Specialist Services for Consumers ay Risk of Suicide: Improving access to and outcomes from mental health care
The fourth interim report considers the achievements of the Specialist Services pilot in terms of: the level of uptake by GPs, emergency departments, allied health professionals and consumers at risk of suicide;
- the socio-demographic and clinical profile of consumers;
- the precise nature of services being delivered; and
- the resulting consumer outcomes.
Data was extracted from the minimum dataset for the period October 2008 to January 2011.
During this period, Specialist Services received 1,401 referrals (79% from GPs, 18% from emergency departments and 3% from community mental health services), delivering a total of 6,910 sessions of care to 1,255 consumers. The consumer profile remained fairly consistent over time and somewhat different from the general ATAPS projects suggesting that Specialist Services are reaching a different group of consumers who are more likely to be younger, males and to have a diagnosis of depression. The nature of services being delivered remains at a point of relative consistency, which varies from that of general ATAPS and between rural and urban areas. The vast majority of consumers are receiving a free of cost service and there is good empirical evidence that the pilot is achieving positive outcomes for consumers in terms of alleviating symptoms and improving levels of functioning. The report confirms the status of the Specialist Services as a valuable and complementary sub-program of the general ATAPS projects.
Click here to download the report.
If you have any queries about the report, please do not hesitate to contact support@boimhc.org.
beyondblue Clinical Practice Guidelines for the perinatal period - now available
The beyondblue Clinical Practice Guidelines for women in the perinatal period (during pregnancy and the first year following birth) have been approved by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) and are now available.
Copies of the Guidelines can be downloaded FREE or ordered at www.beyondblue.org.au/guidelines or by calling the beyondblue info line 1300 224 636. Summary documents for health professionals are in development.
Early Days Program - Helping Children with Autism
Supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Families
The Secretariat of National Aboriginal and Islander Child Care (SNAICC) in partnership with Parenting Research Centre (PRC) conducted a project investigating the experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families bringing up children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder, and examining how to the Early Days Program can best support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families and communities. The final report, Early Days Project on Autism Spectrum Disorders August 2010 is now available. PRC have adopted Recommendations 3 and 4 of the report and are currently looking at ways to address the remaining recommendations. For a copy of the report visit http://www.snaicc.asn.au/_uploads/rsfil/00417.pdf.
Early Days workshops specifically for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families are now available. PRC and SNAICC have worked together to develop workshops that are culturally appropriate and meet the needs of families raising a child with an ASD. To read more about the work that PRC and SNAICC have done visit http://srs.snaicc.asn.au/projects/default.cfm?loadref=203.
Included is an advertisement and a brochure for Aboriginal and Torres Strait families describing the workshops.
To request a workshop or find out more details, call Jane Bennetto, Senior Project Officer, Early Days, on 03 8660 3551 or freecall on 1800 334 155.
Early Days is funded by the Australian Government under Helping Children with Autism package, and is nationally co-ordinated by the Parenting Research Centre. For general information on the program, you can visit http://www.earlydays.net.au/.
Meet Your Neighbour
Mental Health Coordinating Council's new approach to encourage organisations to meet, learn more about each other and find ways to work better together.
Click here to view the flyer.
Adolescent Alcohol Guidelines
Parenting Strategies: preventing Adolescent Alcohol Misuse, a new website and Guidelines designed by The University of Melbourne and Turning Point Alcohol & Drug Centre, aims to provide parents with strategies to assist their adolescent children not to misuse alcohol.
Click here to view the flyer.
Website: http://parentingstrategies.net/
Guidelines: Parenting Guidelines for Adolescent Alcohol Use
YMCA brightside Program
The YMCA of Sydney's Mental Health and Wellbeing Program promotes mental health recovery through exercise, peer support and socialisation.
Click here to view the flyer on their new brightside Program.