[MMHA-E-Bulletin] MMHA E-Bulletin December 2005

[Multicultural Mental Health Australia]

Welcome to the Multicultural Mental Health Australia December 2005
E-Bulletin.
This free e-bulletin aims to keep you up-to-date with the latest news and
information related to the mental health and wellbeing of Australia’s
culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities. For
contributions: info at mmha.org.au
This edition in brief: (please scroll down for more information)

What’s New?
1.New MBS health check for refugees
2.Are regional areas suffering more from the mental health crisis?
3.Rural Mental Health Support Line (NSW)
4.Tsunami wreaks mental health havoc
5.Hope Awards - Short Film Competition

Publications
1.Beyond Words – NEW!!! MMHA Resource
2.Directory of Bicultural/Bilingual Mental Health Practitioners 2005/06 WA
3.The Best of Times, The Worst of Times: Our Family's Journey With Bipolar
4.Broken Spirits: the treatment of traumatized asylum seekers. Refugees,
war and tortured victims

Events and Training
1.NSW institute of psychiatry – Further Education and Training in Mental
Health2.The Master of Mind and Society: Psychotherapies in Social Context
3.ADEC ArtAbilty 2005
4.Spectrum of Cultures Consumer Group Meeting 13th December

New additions to the Web
1. VTPU Multilingual Mental Health Information database
2. West Australian Transcultural Mental Health Centre website updated
3. Looking for Polish information on the web?


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WHAT’S NEW?
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1.  The Commonwealth Government will introduce a new Medicare item to
encourage GPs to provide comprehensive health assessments of refugees and
other humanitarian entrants within six months of their arrival in
Australia.
The new item should be introduced in May 2006 following discussions with
GP and refugee representative groups. More information on the health
assessment item will be provided closer to implementation.
Click on link for further information
http://www.health.gov.au/internet/ministers/publishing.nsf/Content/health-mediarel-yr2005-ta-abb142.htm?OpenDocument&yr=2005&mth=11

2.  A recent episode of Stateline (SA) reports how for months we've heard
that the mental health system is struggling to cope in Adelaide, but this
story shows how it's under pressure in the country areas.
One GP claims his area has half the amount of resources that a similar
area in the city would have and in one mother's case, her mentally ill son
threatened police with a chainsaw and a spear gun, but not even that was
enough to have him admitted for treatment.
Further reading via the following link
http://www.abc.net.au/stateline/sa/content/2005/s1512724.htm

3. The rural mental health support line and iniative of the NSW Greater
Western Area Health Service is available to the rural areas of NSW 24
hours a day, 7 days a week. For anyone who would just like to talk to
someone, or is worried about a family member or friend can call 1800 201
123.
Service providers can also access the Rural Mental Health Support Line if
they are concerned about a client’s mental wellbeing and need advice as to
how to help them. The line is also there for service providers to talk to
someone about the pressures they may be experiencing as they work to
support farming communities.
“The Rural Mental Health Support Line can provide on the spot help in an
immediate crisis or help with referral to local specialist services

Rural Mental Health Support Line 1800 201 123

4.  Survivors are likely to spend years wrestling with the mental health
impact of the Asian tsunami and the earthquake off the Indonesian coast.Aid programmes will quickly reconstruct homes, schools and hospitals, but
rebuilding the shattered lives and minds of the people who lost friends,
family, homes and their livelihoods will take much longer.Further reading at http://www.cimh.unimelb.edu.au/newsevents/

5. Hope Awards Short Film Competition
A short film competition launched recently, will challenge entrants to
help reduce the stigma associated with mental illness.
This new Australian competition - believed to be unique in the world -
will awarda total of $20,000 in prize money to short documentary and drama films that
demonstrate a clear message of hope for people with mental illness and
their carers.
Go to www.hopeawards.com.au for competition information and entry form.

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PUBLICATIONS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1. Beyond Words lessons in translation, trust and meaning from the no more
‘mualagh’ projectThis valuable resource provides a model for delivery on promoting mental
health issues and learning from culturally diverse communities. Beyond
Words, Lessons on translation, trust and meaning from the No more
‘mualagh’ project is based on the successful “No more ‘mualagh” project
which worked with the Afghani community to help Afghani people living in
rural Australia learn more about depression, how it is treated and how to
safely use medicine their doctors prescribe them. Multicultural Mental
Health Australia (MMHA), National Ethnic Disability Alliance (NEDA) and
Associate Professor Nicholas Procter from the University of South
Australia conducted the project, with funding from the National
Prescribing Service (NPS) under the Community Quality Use of Medicines
Rural Project Scheme.

ISBN: 0 9581735 7 5
Price: $10 + GST

For further information and to order your copy visit www.mmha.org.au

2. West Australian Directory of Bicultural/Bilingual Mental Health
Practitioners 2005/06
The fourth edition of the WA Bicultural/Bilingual Mental Health
Practitioners directory will be available following its December launch. 
A  new format has been adopted making the directory more user-friendly,
and to also accommodate an increased number of bilingual/bicultural
clinicians.

Copies may be obtained from the  WA  Transcultural  Mental  Health Centre
on (08) 9224 1760 and through the WATMHC website www.mmha.org.au/watmhc

3.  The Best of Times, The Worst of Times: Our Family's Journey With Bipolar

Penelope and Jessica Rowe have something in common, Bipolar disorder.
Penelope has lived with it for over forty-five years although she was not
diagnosed until her early thirties. Jessica has lived with it all her life
- as the eldest child of an ill mother. This is their story about coping
with an unpredictable enemy, and the way in which, with the support of
family and friends, they managed to get through each day and survive.
Without a hint of self pity, mother and daughter tell their stories -
ultimately showing the underlying love within their family that has
provided both strength and resolve. Depression has played a large and
difficult part in their lives but it is only one part and despite all,
their journey is a hopeful one.

Author: Rowe & Rowe
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
ISBN: 1741146615

4. Broken Spirits: the treatment of traumatized asylum seekers. Refugees,
war and tortured victims

A recent review of this book stated that everyone in mental health care
should read it. The book is broken into sections and deals with
theoretical and conceptual aspects, effects of trauma upon the self,
treatment of posttraumatic syndromes, creative and experiential therapies,
special populations, development issues and drug and physical forms of
treatment. The final section deals with more moral, legal and political
issues featuring an Australian section written by Zachary Steele and
colleagues.

Edited by: John P Wilson and Boris Drozdek
Published: UK Brunner-Routledge 2004
ISBN: 0 415 94397 3

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EVENTS AND TRAINING
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1. NSW Institute of Psychiatry Short Workshops for the first half of 2006.
These are accredited post graduate courses and cover infant, child and
adolescent, adolescent, adult aged care and family mental health.
For further information contact the college on 02 9840 3833 or visit
www.nswiop.nsw.edu.au

2. The Master of Mind and Society: Psychotherapies in Social Context
The Master of Mind and Society is a cross-disciplinary postgraduate
program focussing on psychotherapy in society. It explores the interface
between medicine, psychodynamics, humanities and the social sciences, in
order to address the changing social context which shapes mind and self,
and to come to terms with the shifting parameters of psychotherapeutic
practice. It is offered by the Faculty of Arts in conjunction with the
Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences.
For further information about this course click on the following link
http://www.arts.monash.edu.au/wage/postgraduate/mindandsociety/index.html

3. Art Ability 2005
ArtAbility 2005 organised by Action on Disability with Ethnic Communities
(ADEC) is an art show designed to showcase the art of people from ethnic
backgrounds who have a disability. A work of art speaks directly to the
viewer. When a work of art is viewed, there is no way of telling either
the mental or physical state of the artist. These matters are irrelevant.
What matters is our reaction to the art.
Gasworks Art Park
21 Graham Street Albert Park Victoria
Between 12 Dec 2005 and 19 Dec 2005
Albert Park, VIC
www.adec.org.au


4.  Spectrum of Cultures Consumer Group 13th December Meeting. Victorian
Statewide Multicultural Consumer Group.
The Spectrum of Cultures Consumer Group aims to use participation to
promote Health Advocacy, Community Leadership, Researching Health Needs,
Understanding other Cultures, Participating in the Health System, Finding
Funds, and Establishing & Participating in Communities.
The group also provides a great opportunity to learn new skills, share
your experiences, Look at ways of enhancing your capacity of contributing
to the health of  your life & community and to have social connections.
This session will also include a Christmas celebration and a wind up of 2005.

Contact Evan Bischara for further information

TEL:  (03) 9411 0339	MOBILE:  0411 054 882
FAX:  (03) 9416 0265	EMAIL:  evan.bichara at svhm.org.au

For a complete listing of conferences and training relevant to
multicultural mental health, visit www.mmha.org.au

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NEW ADDITIONS TO THE WEB
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1. Translated Mental Health Information Directory is now available on the
website of the Victorian Transcultural Psychiatry Unit.
The resource provides links to translated mental health information
electronically available on Australian internet websites, listed
alphabetically by mental health topic. Recent additions also include
translations of the SDQ (Strengths & Difficulties Questionnaire), the
CAMHS outcome measure and to Patient Rights Booklets.
Follow link for further information
http://www.vtpu.org.au/resources/translatedmh.php

2. The West Australian Transcultural Mental Health Centre website has
recently been updated including new contact numbers, emails and centre
information.
www.mmha.org.au/watcmhc

3. Polish information can be downloaded from the Australian Polish
Community Services website such as the report on the prevalence of
depression in the Polish community.
For reports like this and others go to
http://www.apcs.org.au/html/en/publications.htm


>From all the staff and members of MMHA we wish you a Happy Festive Season
and a prosperous New Year.
Multicultural Mental Health Australia has extensive listings on mental
health resources and services. Available at: www.mmha.org.au. For more
information please contact us on:Tel: +61 2 9840 3333
Fax: +61 2 9840 3388
Email: admin at mmha.org.au
Website: www.mmha.org.au