[MMHA-E-Bulletin] April-May 2007

Thu Apr 26 10:47:38 EST 2007

Welcome to the Multicultural Mental Health Australia
April-May 2007 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. Thioridazine Tablets (Aldazine) will be discontinued from August 2007.

2. The Royal Flying Doctor Service expands its mental health wings.

3. A new face at MDAA.

4. Latest suicide and self-harm statistics. What do they mean?

5. Drinking too much and depressed?

6. Synergy Edition 1, 2007 out now.

Publications
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1. The final report of the Deafness & Mental Health Research Project.

2. Discussion Paper: Defining a Bilingual Worker.

3. Palliative Care Relief Comfort Support brochure.

4. Australian school-based prevention and early intervention programs
for anxiety and depression: a systematic review.

5. Cultural differences in shame-focused attitudes towards mental
health problems in Asian and non-Asian student women.

Events and Training
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1. The 2007 FECCA Congress. July 30-31, 2007. Hobart, Tasmania.

2. National Conference on Spirituality & Health. August 27-29, 2007.
Adelaide, South Australia.

3. WFMH 2007 Conference on “Transcultural Mental Health in a
Changing World:  Building a Global Response”. October 29-31, 2007.
Minnesota, USA.

4. World Psychiatric Association International Congress 2007.
November 28 - December 2, 2007. Melbourne, Victoria.

New additions to the Web
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1. A new website for children and teens.

2. SANE Australia urges families to speak out.

3. Rolling out cultural competency training throughout NSW.

4. Addressing mental health concerns.

5. New promotion, prevention and early intervention fact sheets at
   Auseinet.

WHAT'S NEW?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1. Thioridazine Tablets (Aldazine) will be discontinued from August 2007:
Pharmaceutical company, Alphapharm, has announced it willdiscontinue
supply of Aldazine 25mg, 50mg and 100mg tablets in Australia from August
2007. The company has notified the Pharmacy Guild of Australia that it
plans to stop producing the antipsychotic drug because it can no longer
obtain a reliable supply of the activeingredient, thioridazine.
Alphapharm estimates that its decision will affect 1000 Australian adult
patients who rely on the medication to treat schizophrenia. The company
says its actions follows that ofinternational manufacturers who have
already withdrawn the supply of thioridazine tablets because they believe
that newer antipsychotic drugs were better for older patients. The
Pharmacy Guild of Australia has urged patients to see their doctors as
soon as possible todiscuss alternative medicines to take.

2. The Royal Flying Doctor Service has been given almost $300,000 in new
Federal Government funding to expand its mental health services in
central-western Queensland. The service will use the money to conduct
several "field days" to help drought-affected farmers and communities
with issues including mental health, relationship building and parenting
skills. The Government had decided to allocate more than one million
dollars to help strengthen drought-affected communities as part of its
Strengthening Drought Affected Communities – Local Answers funding
project. Team Leader of the Matilda Regional Health Service (RFDS-QLD)
based in Longreach, Stuart Hart,told Local ABC Radio how he had noticed
more people accessing help in recent times."I think what it recognises is
the impact of drought in certain areas around Longreach and what it means
is that we're able to start meeting people's needs at the coalface," he
said. "It also recognises that because of the drought it's difficult for
people who've got depression and anxiety and so forth to leave their
properties to come into town and get services.” The project aims to
target 400 Queensland families.

3. A new face at MDAA: It’s a great gain for the Multicultural Disability
Advocacy Association (MDAA), but a sad loss to MMHA and the National
Ethnic Disability Alliance (NEDA). Former Executive Officer of NEDA,
Diana Qian, has just been appointed the Assistant Director at MDAA.
As the former Executive Officer of NEDA, Diana was also an active member
on the MMHA Consortium. Diana sat on the Consortium for more than two
years and MMHA is extremely sad to see her go. Applications for the
executive officer position at NEDA are still being sought. Applications
close on 30 April. To apply visit: http://www.neda.org.au.

4. To assist people to understand statistical information concerning
suicide and self-harm, Auseinet has just updated its papers on key
findings based on data recently released by the Australian Bureau of
Statistics and the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Primarily
the data collected by the Bureau of Statistics is very broad and isn’t
broken down to show these trends amongst people from CALD backgrounds.
Rather it concentrates on gender,age, location and method. The data and
key findings can be found on the LIFE: National Suicide Prevention
Strategy website:http://www.livingisforeveryone.com.au/statistics.php.

5. Drinking too much and depressed? Depression and anxiety tend to go
hand in hand with people who drink excessively. However, people who
suffer from these co-existing conditions are reluctant to receive any
help. The Australian Centre for Addiction Research (ACAR) is about to
launch a nation-wide correspondence program that will tackle drinking
anddepression/anxiety.Participants will be taught strategies on how to
manage their moods and/or alcohol intake. The program will be launched
within the next couple of months.If you are interested in the National
Co-morbidity Management Program you can contact ACAR by email:
acar at acar.net.au, or phone 1800 006 577 or visit http://www.acar.net.au.

6. The first edition of Synergy for 2007 is now available. This edition
completes a two-part series on Cultural Competency in mental health. It
illustrates examples of how mental health services are meeting cultural
competency standards - the checks and balances that are in place.
Be sure to sign up to the MMHA mailing list for your free copy:
http://www.mmha.org.au/contact/mailinglist-form

PUBLICATIONS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1. The final report of the Deafness & Mental Health Research Project.
Over the last 10 years public mental health systems have started
recognising the needs of deaf and hearing impaired consumers from
English speaking backgrounds and have subsequently begun generating
innovative strategies to meet their needs.However, the needs of deaf and
hearing impaired mental health consumers from non-English speaking
backgrounds haven’t been acknowledged. To rectify this the Queensland
Transcultural Mental Health Centre has worked in partnership with the
Deafness & Mental Health Centre of Excellence at Princess Alexandra
Hospital and Deaf Services Queensland to combat to produce this report.
This report investigates the unique bio-psycho-social and cultural factors
of deafand hearing-impaired people from CALD and Indigenous backgrounds.
It also explores how to improve access to Queensland mental health
services for these consumers. You can download a copy of the final report
into the Deafness & Mental Health Project from the
QTMHCwebsite.http://www.health.qld.gov.au

2. Discussion Paper: Defining a Bilingual Worker. The Centre for Culture,
Ethnicity and Health received funding from the Victorian Office of
Multicultural Affairs to produce a research report to investigate the
recruitment and employment of bilingual workers in Victorian Government
departments and funded agencies. Guidelines formulated from this report
would then be included in the “Improving the Use of Translating &
Interpreting Services: A Guide to Victorian Government Policy &
Procedures”. This paper explores how bilingual workers engage within
workplaces across a range of sectors. It’s been developed to stimulate
discussion and elicit responses from stakeholders on key questions
formulated in the development of a working definition of a bilingual
worker. You can download a copy for the report from:
http://www.ceh.org.au/resources/resbyceh.html.

3. Palliative Care Relief Comfort Support brochure - Publication No.
AHS - 7955. The Wentworth Area Health Service first put out this
publication in March 2004. It has just been reviewed and recirculated.
This brochure simply explains what palliative care is, who provides it and
how to ensure specific cultural/language needs are met. It’s available in
many languages including Arabic, Chinese, Croatian, Dutch, English,
Filipino, French, German, Greek, Hindi, Hungarian, Italian, Macedonian,
Maltese, Polish, Punjabi, Sinhalese, Spanish, Tamil and Turkish.
http://www.mhcs.health.nsw.gov.au/mhcs/topics/Palliative_Care.html#7955

3. Australian school-based prevention and early intervention programs for
anxiety and depression: a systematic review by Alison L Neil and Helen
Christensen. MJA 2007; 186 (6): 305-308. The objective of this project
was to review the efficacy and effectiveness of prevention and early
intervention programs for anxiety and depression currently being used in
Australian schools. The study included an audit and review of the programs,
which helped determine which ones were potentially useful in combating
depression and anxiety in children and adolescents.
http://www.mja.com.au/public/issues/186_06_190307/nei10799_fm.html

4. Cultural differences in shame-focused attitudes towards mental health
problems in Asian and non-Asian student women. Authors: Gilbert,
P; Bhundia R; Mitra, R McEwan; K, Irons C and Sanghera J. Mental Health,
Religion and Culture Volume 10, Issue 2. Pages 127-141; March 2007. This
study explored differences in shame-focused attitudes to mental health
problems in Asian and non-Asian students. The researchers used the
'Attitudes Towards Mental Health Problems'(ATMHP) self-report scale to
measure: external shame, internal shame and reflected shame. The study
also included a second questionnaire, which was designed to measure
concerns about confidentiality. The results from this study suggested that
Asian students have higher external shame and reflected shame, but not
internal shame beliefs. To read more about these findings visit:
http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content~content=a769682416~jumptype=rss.

EVENTS AND TRAINING
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1. The 2007 FECCA Congress will revolve around the concepts of
empowerment and inclusion. This year’s congress is titled: Australian
cultural and social diversity within a global context. FECCA is currently
inviting proposals to present papers that address one of the three streams
that explore various issues relating to youth, children,education and
training, culture and heritage, health and ageing, universal human rights,
racism and discrimination, multiculturalism and diversity, cross cultural
and interfaith issues, immigration and citizenship,refugee and
humanitarian issues. The deadline for proposals is May 31, 2007. The
congress will be held at the Wrest Point Resort in Hobart, Tasmania from
July 30-31, 2007.For more details: http://fecca.fims.com.au/congress/Home.cfm

2. The 2nd National Conference on Spirituality & Health aims to explore
important themes arising from current research that investigates the
relationship between spirituality, lifestyle, cultural diversity and the
workplace. Speakers will present research establishing the links between
spirituality, religion, health and wellbeing. Several themes will be
identified throughout the presentations and post-conference workshops will
also be held. Medical and health professionals, nurses and allied health
practitioners, chaplains, clergy and ethicists, community service
providers;and psychologists and behavioural scientists are urged to
attend. The Spirituality & Health Conference will run from 27-29 August
2007 at the Adelaide Festival Centre in Adelaide, South Australia. Visit
http://www.spiritualityhealth.org.au for more details.

3. World Federation for Mental Health is teaming up with a collaborative
of Minnesota-based mental health, health, social, and human service
organisations to host the 1st WFMH Conference on “Transcultural Mental
Health in a Changing World: Building a Global Response”. This conference
aims to highlight the major influence that culture plays in how
individuals, communities, professionals and service organisations perceive
mental health and mental illnesses, and how mental health services are
planned and delivered in a multicultural community. The conference will be
held in Minnesota,USA from 29-31 October 2007.Abstracts are due on June
29, 2007. Visit http://www.wfmh.com for more details.

4. The theme for the World Psychiatric Association International Congress
2007 is “Working Together for Mental Health: Partnerships for Policy and
Practice”. The congress aims to embrace all those who are concerned and
associated with mental health. Participants will be able to consider the
latest scientific research findings,as well as share experiences and
emerging solutions across geographical and cultural boundaries. The
Congress will bring together the perspectives of clinicians, researchers,
allied health professionals, consumers and carers. It will be a truly
international Congress, with a particular focus on the Asia-Pacific
Region. The congress will be held at the Melbourne Exhibition
and Convention Centre in Melbourne, Victoria from
November 28 – December 2,2007. The deadline for abstract submissions for
symposia, workshops, free papers and postersis 30 April 2007. Meanwhile
early bird registration closes 31 July 2007. For more details:
http://www.wpa2007melbourne.com

NEW ADDITIONS TO THE WEB
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1. Serenity NSW Inc. has launched a new website aimed at children and
teenagers suffering from anxiety disorders and/or depression.
Visit www.anxietyinfamilies.org.au. The site has also been set up to
assist parents and family members to find out more about these problems
and where to go for help; and what sort of treatments are available across
Australia. Serenity NSW Inc. established the site with financial support
from “Variety – the children’s charity”, Campsie RSL Club, Canterbury
Leagues Club and Holroyd City Council. The website features special fact
sheets, referrals and resources.

2.  SANE urges families to speak out: SANE Australia is keen to learn how
families and friends are affected by mental illness. SANE says it
understands that when someone develops a mental illness a ripple effect
goes through the whole family. It has therefore put together an online
survey asking you about your biggest worries and what would help you most.
SANE Australia is urging people to visit its website and complete its
survey before 30 April as it plans to use the information to assist it
indeveloping new resources and advocating for better services. By having
your say you will assist SANE Australia continue working for a better life
for those affected by mental illness and their families.
http://www.sane.org/philaform/national_family_carer_survey.html

3. Cultural Competency Training in rural and regional NSW: Visit the
website for Multicultural Disability Advocacy Association’s training
calendar. MDAA is delivering one-day workshops in cultural competency for
NGO services working with people with disabilities across rural and remote
NSW. MDAA will be in: Queanbeyan 30 April 2007, Albury 1 May 2007,
Griffith 2 May 2007, Coffs Harbour 10 July 2007 and Lismore 11 July 2007.
Visit http://www.mdaa.org.au/service/industry/country.html for more
details. Keep an eye out for future training dates in Queensland for
later in the year.

4. Addressing mental health concerns: The Mental Illness Fellowship of
Australia (MIFA) is conducting a nationwide survey in the lead up to the
federal election later this year. The survey aims to address key federal
issues relating to mental illness and how the government is currently
addressing these. MIFA says this survey will give people an opportunity to
tell the government what it’s doing well and how it can improve mental
health. MIFA will compile and publish the results and present them to the
major political parties for a response. The survey can be found on MIFA’s
website: http://www.mifa.org.au and results will be published in May. 5.
New promotion, prevention and early intervention fact sheets at Auseinet.
You can now download three new fact sheets about mental health for
consumers and carers from the Auseinet website. These outline promotion,
prevention and early intervention of mental health. They highlight the
difference between mental health and mental illness; and the recovery
process.  These fact sheets have been developed by Auseinet in
collaboration with an Expert Reference Group and can be downloaded
directly from: http://www.auseinet.com.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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