Category Archives: Mental Health Services

For further information contact
Dr Mark Wenitong
Public Health Medical Officer
02 6246 9319
mark.w@naccho.org.au

Apr 9 2013

NACCHO health news: AMA-Good mental health and wellbeing essential to close Indigenous health gap

 

 

By AMA President Dr Steve Hambleton

By AMA ( Australian Medical Association) President Dr Steve Hambleton

Edition :

In recent years, Australians have become increasingly aware that poor mental health can affect any of us at any time. Government health policy has also sought a more concerted focus on this area of health.

There is less awareness, though, of the distinctive needs and vulnerabilities of particular groups in Australia concerning mental health and wellbeing.

The factors that contribute to poor mental health and social and emotional wellbeing among Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islanders are complex, and their effects cross generations.

The AMA believes that the mental health and social and emotional wellbeing of Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islanders should be given greater priority in the nation’s health policy agenda.

According to the latest research, nearly one-third of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults report high to very high levels of psychological distress in their lives – two and a half times the rate reported by other Australians.

There were more than 990 reported suicides of Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islanders between 2001 and 2010, which is twice the rate of other Australians.

The situation is even more dire among Stolen Generation survivors, who have mental health conditions at twice the rate of other Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islanders who were not removed from their families.

Young Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islanders are particularly at risk.

Those between 18 and 24 years of age are twice as likely as other Australians to have experienced high levels of psychological distress, and those between 12 and 24 years of age are more than three times more likely to be hospitalised for mental and behavioural disorders than other Australians of that age.

The suicide rates for young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men between 15 and 19 years of age are nearly six times that of other Australian men of that age.

Poor social and emotional wellbeing and psychological distress is associated with exposure to major life stressors, such as illness, disability, exposure to violence, unemployment, the death of a family member or friend and persistent economic struggle. Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islanders experience these major life stressors, and their associated levels of psychological distress, at higher rates than other Australians.

Research shows that there is an association between in utero stressors and a child’s developmental outcomes.

Children whose mothers experience more than three major stressors while they are in utero are at higher risk of exhibiting difficult behaviours in childhood.

The quality of a child’s early life can also affect their resilience and mental health later in life.

The AMA reported in 2008 on the problematic life circumstances and health risks of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, and will report on the evidence around healthy early development for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children later this year.

For Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islanders, mental health and social and emotional wellbeing are very much bound up with strength of their cultural identity, and the amount of control they have over their own lives. That’s why, among other things, the AMA has advocated for the formal recognition of Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islanders in the Australian Constitution (see Recognition a step toward closing Indigenous health gap, px).

The AMA also believes that a national strategic approach to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mental health is needed which, among other things, ensures that:

  • there are enough culturally specific mental health and wellbeing services in the right locations, and built into the comprehensive primary care provided by Aboriginal community-controlled health services;
  • child and maternal health services have the capacity to support healthy early childhood development for Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islanders; and
  • mainstream mental health services and general practices are supported to provide culturally competent services for Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islanders.

Importantly, Indigenous leadership must be preserved in the development and implementation of this strategic approach.

A positive state of mental health and happiness can be a buffer against adverse circumstances and health conditions. The physical health and mental health of Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islanders are therefore intertwined.

This means that, in measuring what it will take to close the gap in Indigenous health, it is critical to include mental health and social and emotional wellbeing in the equation

Mar 27 2013

NACCHO report alert:Mental Health and Social and Emotional Wellbeing of Aboriginal Peoples, Families and Communities

Close The gap

Mental Health and Social and Emotional Wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, Families and Communities

Download this Supplementary Paper

Download original 2012 report

A Contributing Life: the 2012 National Report Card on Mental Health and Suicide Prevention

Prepared by Chris Holland, with Pat Dudgeon and Helen Milroy

While the fictional story of Jerara’s journey told in A Contributing Life: the 2012 National Report Card on Mental Health and Suicide Prevention  was a composite picture to reflect the diversity of the journey of different communities and generations, this paper gives attention to a more in depth picture of that diversity.

It provides detail behind the wider story of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and how this impacts and influences their mental health and wellbeing.

This paper provides a more comprehensive picture of the over half a million Aboriginal peoples and fifty thousand Torres Strait Islanders living in Australia.

Of a population group which is younger when compared to the non-Indigenous population (a median age of 21 years compared to 37 years).

Where in fact just a quarter of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples live in remote areas, with a third in major cities and the remainder in regional centres or areas.

This too is a story of resilience.

Where, despite the significant toll of at least 996 suicides of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples between 2001 and 2010, significantly poorer health and appalling rates of poverty, the majority of 7800 adultsfrom almost 7000 households asked in the 2008 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey (NATSISS) reported being happy (72 per cent), peaceful (59 per cent) and full of life (57 per cent) all or most of the time in the four weeks before the survey.

 ‘Social and emotional wellbeing’ – a positive state of mental health and happiness associated with a strong and sustaining cultural identity community and family life – has been, and remains, a source of strength against adversity, poverty and neglect.

In fact it is only in the past two decades, following a sustained campaign by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples since at least the 1950s, that the economic position and health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples has started to significantly improve.

The much-needed effort to ‘close the gap’ will continue until at least 2030.

In the meantime, the 2011 Census points to rising income, levels of educational attainment and home ownership.Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have survived a process of colonisation that destroyed whole groups of people, cultures, languages, and their traditional economic and political life. Through these terrible times a connection to culture was critical for survival.

And cultural reclamation has been a major defining movement for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples over the past decades.Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are diverse, spread out across a vast continent, with many language groups, cultures, traditions and experiences.

Too much focus on diversity however can mask collective elements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ experience: a shared cultural history and ancestry in over 250 language groups that suffered invasion by a colonising power.

 Download the full report here

Mar 1 2013

NACCHO Health Technology NEWS: National online youth counselling service goes mobile

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Image above Headspace

Young people can now use their smartphones and tablet devices to access Australia’s only youth-specific online mental health service staffed exclusively by qualified clinicians.

The new mobile-enabled eheadspace website will make it even easier for teenagers and young adults to get support when and where they need it for issues such as bullying, depression, anxiety and relationship breakups.

Launching the new website on the Gold Coast,headspace CEO Chris Tanti said the changes recognised that an increasing number of young people were accessing the online world through their mobile devices.

“The most recent figures show that more than three quarters of 18-25 year olds now access the Internet via their mobile devices and a third surf the web on an iPad or other tablet,” Mr Tanti said.

“These numbers will only go up. headspaceunderstands these trends and we are improving our services to ensure that we’re supporting young people via the channels they are using.”

Mr Tanti said eheadspace had grown rapidly since it was established 18 months ago, with around 18,000 young people now registered for the service, which offers free support to 12-25 year olds via instant messaging, email and over the telephone.

The new website not only allows young people to receive support via their iPhone, iPad or Android device, but also includes a range of other innovations, including:

  • A virtual waiting room with YouTube videos and reading material to entertain and inform young people while they wait for their appointment;
  • A ‘My Account’ page for each registered user, allowing them to manage their settings and review past eheadspacesessions;
  • Responsive web design that fits eheadspace to the screen of any device, even those that haven’t been released yet;
  • Emoticons to help young people express how they are feeling; and
  • Vastly improved accessibility for young people with disabilities.

Mr Tanti said eheadspace, an initiative of the Australian Government, was all about creating a service that young people wanted to come to by making it as accessible and youth-friendly as possible.

“If you are a young person, you need to know thatheadspace will be there for you wherever you are,” Mr Tanti said.

“If you want to go to a centre, we have 55 around the country for you to access. But if you don’t live near aheadspace centre, or prefer talking about your concerns online or over the phone, the neweheadspace site is a great option. And if you want support at school, our new School Support program is also there to help.”

Mr Tanti said the eheadspace innovations would be especially significant for young people living outside capital cities who don’t have immediate access to in person mental health services.

“Our network of centres is growing rapidly but even with this growth there are still young Australians who live too far from a centre to get regular assistance,” Mr Tanti said.

The new eheadspace website complements other essential online counselling services such as those offered by Kids Helpline and Lifeline.

Manager of eheadspace Vikki Ryall said the significant growth in the number of young people coming through its virtual doors indicates that many now see online support as a preferable option.

“We hear it all the time, young people saying ‘Finally, adults are talking to us in the way we want to be spoken to, over the medium we prefer’,” Ms Ryall said.

“We know some young people still find it hard to walk into a traditional mental health service, so options likeeheadspace make the first step of getting help much easier.”

Ms Ryall said eheadspace was expanding its service all the time, with support for parents now available, as well as a GP service soon to be offered. Recently a vocational expert was appointed to help support young people in their work or study needs.

“Young people are voting with their feet and signing up to these services in larger and larger numbers every month. We hope the improvements announced today will make it even more popular across the country,” she said.

headspace media contact: Ben Hart, Public Affairs Manager
Mobile: 0407 445 551

Feb 25 2013

Renewing the National Strategic Framework for Aboriginal Mental Health and Social Emotional Wellbeing

Renewing the National Strategic Framework for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ Mental Health and Social Emotional Wellbeing

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Background

The Department of Health and Ageing (DoHA) is leading the renewal of the National Strategic Framework for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ Mental Health and Social Emotional Wellbeing (2004-2009) (the Framework), under Action 7 of the Fourth National Mental Health Plan (2009-2014), which commits all jurisdictions to ‘Lead the development of coordinated actions to implement a renewed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander SEWB Framework’.

Download the National strategic Framework 2004-2009 here

A Working Group has been established to guide the development of the renewed Framework which includes representatives from:

  • the Commonwealth, Queensland, Northern Territory and New South Wales governments;
  • the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Officials Network (NATSIHON);
  • the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO);
  • the Chair of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Mental Health Advisory Group (ATSIMHAG);
  • the National Sorry Day Committee;
  • the National Stolen Generation Alliance; and
  • an Indigenous mental health consumer and carer.

The SPRC, in partnership with Nulungu Research Institute, has been contracted to undertake the development of the renewed Framework including consulting with key stakeholders. The renewed Framework will seek to:

  • Build on the previous Framework, taking into account its successes and addressing any gaps or developments that have occurred since it was published;
  • Offer a clear policy framework that will guide current and future social and emotional wellbeing and mental health efforts for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and their communities;
  • Support alignment across governments and sectors; and
  • Support ways to evaluate and inform future efforts around community based Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander social and emotional wellbeing and mental health activities.

Introduction to the Framework

The Framework was developed in 2004 by the Social Health Reference Group for the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Council and the National Mental Health Working Group.The Framework provided an outline for national action to respond to the high incidence of social and emotional wellbeing problems and mental ill health among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. The Framework broadens the focus from mental ill health to a wider view of wellbeing and to services which promote positive wellbeing. It was also recognised that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have different sources of strength and vulnerability from other groups in the population and therefore require a specific conceptual framework and a particular policy and service response. The Framework included building on strengths of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and people; increasing access to primary health and early intervention; and improving access to culturally sensitive and relevant services.

The development of the renewed Framework will include consultations with a broad range people from:

  • State and Commonwealth Government departments;
  • consumers, carers and community leaders;
  • Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations (ACCHOs) and
  • other non-government organisations who provide health services.

These consultations are an opportunity to provide input into the development of a renewed Framework and to comment on current issues around Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ mental health and social emotional wellbeing.

Discussion paper

A Discussion Paper (PDF) (4 Mb) has been written to provide background information and is aimed at promoting a discussion about the development of a renewed Framework. The Discussion Paper highlights some of the key issues which are relevant to the development of the renewed Framework and some of the developments which have occurred since the previous Framework was issued.

The Discussion Paper also includes a number of questions to assist you with providing feedback. The questions are intentionally broad to encourage discussions and to capture a wide range of views and ideas.

By submitting a response to these questions, or by attending a consultation in your State or Territory, you will help to ensure that the renewed Framework identifies the key issues and action areas necessary to ensure the social and emotional wellbeing needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are addressed and improved.

Submission Process

It is important that the renewed Framework reflects the ideas and thoughts of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities, and we welcome your feedback and comments on renewing the Framework. Your submission will provide an opportunity for all points of views to be heard and considered throughout the development of the Framework.

To have your say in the development of the Framework you can:

  • Read the Discussion Paper (available soon) and complete a submission. All comments will be considered. The online submission portal will be available until 1 April 2013.
  • Attend a consultation in a location near you. Locations will be finalised shortly and added to this website.

By completing a submission and responding to these questions, you can help to shape the renewed Framework.

Consultations

The SPRC and Nulungu Research Institute are holding nation-wide consultations. The consultations seek feedback from stakeholders to ensure the renewed Framework meets the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people of all ages and from different backgrounds and locations.

Through the consultations, participants will have the opportunity to provide their views on the social and emotional wellbeing needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. If you are planning on attending the consultations, or making a submission, we encourage you to read the Discussion Paper (available soon) to learn more.

By attending a consultation in your state or territory, you can help to ensure the Framework reflects the key issues and priorities that matter most to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander individuals and communities.

Locations and dates for the consultations will be finalised soon and added to this website. If you would like to attend a consultation, please email sewb@unsw.edu.au.

Please note that there will be limited capacity at the consultations. For those who are unable to attend a consultation or prefer to make a written submission, we will soon be offering an online form where you can type your responses. This form can also be downloaded and emailed back to sewb@unsw.edu.au. All responses, whether submitted at the consultations or via the website, will be given equal weight.

Key Documents

Coming soon:

  • Document Analysis
  • Powerpoint presentation
  • Poster

Contact details

Should you require any further information please email sewb@unsw.edu.au

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Feb 19 2013

NACCHO report downloads:Effectiveness of Aboriginal social and emotional wellbeing programs examined in new reports

Close The gap

Programs aimed at promoting social and emotional wellbeing in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people that have been shown to be effective are those with Indigenous ownership and support according to two new papers released today on the Closing the Gap Clearinghouse website.

DOWNLOAD:Strategies and practices for promoting the social and emotional wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people

focuses on social and emotional well-being programs, while the paper

DOWNLOAD:Strategies to minimise the incidence of suicide and suicidal behaviour

provides a review of policies and programs that aim to prevent suicide and suicidal behaviour.

In 2008, nearly one-third (32%) of Indigenous Australians aged 18 and over reported high or very high levels of psychological distress-more than twice the proportion for non-Indigenous adults. The Indigenous suicide rate is also estimated to be about double that of the non-Indigenous population.

Programs that operate in isolation from, or do not address the legacy of past trauma, past and current racism, and issues such as poverty and homelessness, were not as effective as other programs in promoting social and emotional well-being and preventing suicide among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

The programs that are particularly effective are those that have a high level of Indigenous ownership and community support. Further, both international studies and Australian data show that Indigenous people who speak their own languages have better resilience and mental health.

The Indigenous hip hop program run by the BeyondBlue organisation was effective in promoting positive mental health among young people. The program incorporated traditional culture fused with hip hop, rap, beat boxing and break dancing, and resulted in increased self-esteem, preparedness to talk to family and friends about mental health, and ability to see signs of depression in others.

In addition, interventions involving ‘motivational care planning’ (motivating people to self-manage and solve their own problems step-by-step) were shown to improve wellbeing in Indigenous people with a mental illness in remote communities.

Jan 19 2013

Real “good news” stories from NACCHO:Starting out in Aboriginal Health: Richard Weston CEO-Healing Foundation

NACCHO:Real stories of real people who are working to deliver better health outcomes for Aboriginal people.

Richard weston

This is Richard’s first blog on his new site

You can follow Richard’s BLOG HERE

or TWITTER Richard Weston‏@RichJWeston

In work I am CEO of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Healing Foundation and have been a CEO in Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander organisations since August 2000.

I was CEO of Maari Ma Health based in Broken Hill NSW for 8 years; I went from there to Brisbane to take up the CEO role with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Health Service (ATSICHS) for 14 months and then to my current role with the Healing Foundation where I have been since September 2010.

I moved to Broken Hill in 1996 with my partner and our two sons (who were 2yrs & 6 months old respectively). I had no job there and set about looking for work on arrival. I soon had the choice of taking a job with a fledgling Aboriginal Health Service (I would be their third employee) or a much safer job with Social Security which was later to become Centrelink under the Howard government

I chose the former which was a Project Officer gig with the Far West Ward Aboriginal Health Service (later to become Maari Ma) on a CES TAP* scheme for 2 years.

It’s been a great ride and I have experienced much of the good and bad sides of human nature along the way. I have helped build success in organisations. I have been on the blunt end of black politics and I have gained insight into what makes Indigenous organisations successful. I don’t hold grudges towards anyone across this journey, you get bruised along the way; it’s the nature of the space.

I have to say though that I have had more uplifting experiences on my journey than low points. On the whole I have enjoyed the ride. I have had the opportunity to work with good people both black and white who wanted to bring tangible improvement to the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

It’s the journey I want to share on this blog. I want to provide you with a firsthand account of working at the coal face of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander affairs from a management and leadership perspective.

It’s a challenging space to work in because it is so political. On the other hand it has been very satisfying because of the people relationships that I’ve developed and the things that we’ve achieved. One outstanding element of my journey has been the sense of humour that exists in our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. How our people maintain a positive and humorous take on life in spite of high death rates, high levels of trauma, grief and loss in our communities, violence, alcohol abuse, chronic disease – the list seems endless – is a wonder. It never ceases to amaze.

The Aboriginal Health Service was small (it commenced life with $35k in the bank). The inaugural CEO was William ‘Smiley’ Johnstone, who had been a railway fettler and who had tried his hand at becoming a teacher, gone into the politics of ATSIC and became CEO of the new Aboriginal health service. I had little knowledge of the health system but I had solid administration experience and had worked in HR in WA as an employment and development officer and cross cultural trainer. These jobs were in federal and state bureaucracies.

Those early days of the mid-1990s were challenging. We were confronted with a health system that employed few Aboriginal people, and those that were in the system worked at the margins and had little training. The public health system in NSW had undergone a restructure to create 17 Area Health Services and Boards, including the Far West Area Health Service, which mirrored the Murdi Paaki ATSIC region boundary. Aboriginal health was a poorly grasped concept to the health system and even more foreign was the concept of actually involving Aboriginal people in planning, designing and delivering health services that affected them.

In addition to this the Murdi Paaki Region of NSW had the poorest health outcomes in NSW. The whitefellas were worse off than their counterparts in the rest of NSW, but when we looked at data for Aboriginal people, the story was much worse. On almost every indicator of health (and for that matter education, employment, housing and economic development) Aboriginal people fared far worse than Aboriginal people in the rest of the state.

Even more alarming than the actual health status of the region was that the data told us that most Aboriginal people were hospitalised from complications arising from chronic diseases, like diabetes and respiratory conditions. These are preventable diseases. Many people were being diagnosed with their chronic illness on presentation to hospital, which often meant the disease was well advanced with little chance of cure. That’s the problem with chronic illness, you can have a problem but not feel sick, and by the time you are aware you have an issue it may be too late.

The health system needed to change to engage with Aboriginal people more effectively to catch chronic conditions earlier in their onset and Aboriginal people needed to be involved in how this reform would occur, to better meet the needs of their own people. The unrelenting nature of a number of socio-economic factors makes it difficult for our people to prioritise health above other pressing day to day issues, like surviving on welfare or CDEP**.

The next challenge was that our communities (9 in all) were spread out over an area that geographically was one sixth the total area of NSW. This made service delivery, particularly continuity and quality of care, very challenging.

Along with our organisation and the public health system the other key players were the Flying Doctors (South East Section) and the Rural Health Training Unit. The Flying Doctors did a great job of providing emergency care but did little on the primary health care (prevention / early intervention) front for Aboriginal people, other than GP clinics in communities that were not well coordinated with the rest of the system. The Rural Health Training Unit was another fledgling organisation that would play a key role in improving the system for Aboriginal people.

So here I was living in Barkantji country with a young family, working for an organisation that was to deliver better access to health in a challenging landscape, with no experience working in the health system.

In my next blog I’ll share with you the vision that was developed by Aboriginal people that captured our imaginations and the partnership that developed between whitefellas and blackfellas to reform the health system in the Murdi Paaki Region.

You can find out more about Maari Ma and what it is currently doing by visiting: www.maarima.com.au

Richard

* CES TAP scheme – Commonwealth Employment Service Training for Aboriginal People

**CDEP – Community Development Employment Program, work for the dole scheme that was in place for Aboriginal people long before it was mandated for long term unemployed.

Know a Real stories of real people who is working to deliver better health outcomes for Aboriginal people.

Send details to media@naccho.org.au

Dec 6 2012

Press release:Increased community engagement is needed to improve the mental health and wellbeing of Aboriginal people

18Justin Mohamed (pictured above) the chair of the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO), the national authority in Aboriginal comprehensive primary health Care  has called on the Commonwealth and the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) to improve the mental health and wellbeing of Aboriginal people by accepting three basic recommendations;

1. Increasing the engagement of Aboriginal communities and their service provider in the development and implementation of policies and programs. This is in line with the National Framework of Principles for Government Service Delivery to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians agreed by COAG in 2008.

 2.  Resourcing NACCHO to enable our national peak Aboriginal health body to assist in the development and implementation of these policies and programs thereby adding to their effectiveness when they are delivered by our member services on the ground.

3.  Making the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) members more accountable in the proposed COAG “Closing the Gap” mental health targets.

Mr Mohamed said whilst he welcomed the fact that in the release of the 2012 National Report Card Mental Health and Suicide prevention that the mental health and wellbeing of Aboriginal peoples was included as one of our national priorities he considered the key recommendation did not go far enough in identifying the three major areas of concern of the Aboriginal Community Controlled Health movement.

 “Firstly the report acknowledged that Australian governments must start thinking about Aboriginal peoples’ mental health in different ways but the current report card continues to ignore many of the recommendations that NACCHO have repeatedly submitted to mental health enquiries and policy plans since the mid 1980’s.

These include the 1988Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody, the 1989 National Aboriginal Health Strategy (NAHS), the 1993 NACCHO manifesto (see below) on Aboriginal well-being, 1995 Ways forward: national Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mental health policy, the 1997 Bringing them home report right through to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Mental and Social and Emotional Wellbeing Plan to commence in 2013.

 Mr Mohamed went on to explain that the evidence presented in these reports shows strong support for investing in culture and communities to support social and emotional wellbeing but to date there has been a lack of coordination and commitment

“Supporting self-determination and working in partnership should be part of any overall response. The Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Sector has historically recommended that services be funded to offer an integrated social and emotional wellbeing program with Aboriginal family support workers, alcohol and substance abuse workers, social workers and psychologists available.

With the national consultations underway for NATSHIP, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Mental and Social and Emotional Wellbeing Plan to commence in 2013, combined with the current work and future findings of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Suicide Prevention Advisory Group now is the perfect time to increase the engagement of Aboriginal communities to find and implement solutions to our mental health and suicide crisis” Mr. Mohamed said.

NACCHO needs to be resourced to enable us to assist in the development and implementation of these policies and programs thereby adding to their effectiveness when they are delivered by our member services on the ground.

Finally as previous Aboriginal health plans – and in particular the 1989 NAHS have all agreed on the key principles to be followed in any mental health plan are, a holistic definition of health, a social determinants approach that involves genuine intersect-verbal collaboration, the centrality of comprehensive primary health care and the importance of Aboriginal community control.

NACCHO would expect that any future plan builds on these agreed principles, which have become increasingly well supported by the evidence over the last twenty years or more.

However, Aboriginal health remains overwhelmingly poor, and improvements have been patchy. NACCHO believes that much of the relative failure of previous Aboriginal health plans has been the result of poor processes for implementation and accountability. Addressing these will be critical to ensuring that the new plan is effective.

We would welcome any form of targets or a position where the government can report back on how they are progressing with closing the gap, particularly in this field of mental health”

NACCHO will be seeking a commitment from the Commonwealth that our organisation, affiliates and members will be resourced to be actively involved in the development and implementation of these policies and programs so that we work with communities and the government agencies to be more responsive to the broader issues around the many wellbeing issues of our people” Mr Mohamed said

 For further details and interviews contact:

 Colin Cowell    T: 0401 331 251    E:  media@naccho.org.au

 National Media and Communications Advisor

 

1993 NACCHO manifesto on Aboriginal well-being:

In a position paper on Aboriginal Mental Health alongside a “Manifesto on Aboriginal Well-Being” NACCHO (September 1993) it was stated that

“For Aborigines, mental health must be considered in the wider (Aboriginal concept of well-being) context of health and well-being. This requires that this health issue be approached in the social emotional context and that both social emotional health and psychiatric disorders encompass oppression, racialism, environmental circumstances, economical factors, stress, trauma, grief, cultural genocide, psychological processes and ill health.”

 

 

 

 

Dec 5 2012

Make Aboriginal mental health a national priority: Commission

The National Mental Health Commission has called for the mental health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to be made a national priority.

(The following transcript featuring the NACCHO chair is from World News Australia Radio LISTEN HERE

NACCHO’s chairman, Justin Mohamed, says incorporating mental health as a target in the program would help better track progress.A full NACCHO response  to this report is being developed and will be released shortly.

18

“We know that mental health and emotional and spiritual well being has a major impact on our communities, especially our young people. So we would welcome any form of targets or a position where the government can report back on how they are going with closing the gap, particularly in this field of mental health

In its first annual report card it has recommended the mental health of Indigenous Australians be added as a target to the Closing the Gap program to reduce early deaths and improve well-being.

The National Mental Health Commission’s first report card includes a feature on the emotional and social well-being of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, in a bid it says to have the Indigenous community heard.

Commission member, and chairwoman of the Australian Indigenous Psychologists Association, Professor Pat Dudgeon, says the mental health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders has long been overlooked.

“I believe that Indigenous issues have been ignored, particularly mental health. It is only recently that we have brought it to the table. There is a gap in Indigenous mental health compared to non-Indigenous mental health. For instance, even though we are only 3 per cent of the population our suicide rates are twice that of the rest of the population.”

Up to 15 per cent of the 10-year life expectancy gap between Indigenous and non- Indigenous Australians has been put down to mental health conditions.

In its report the Commission says governments must combat the vicious cycles of disadvantage that make mental health issues in Indigenous community’s worse.

Ms Dudgeon says mental health cannot be looked at in isolation.

“Everything is all interrelated. So if we look at health that is related to mental health, and employment, social inclusion. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people still suffer racism in this country. We also have a history of colonisation that we have to deal with and reclaim our cultures. So that all compounds on the mental health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.”

The Commission’s report makes ten recommendations.

Among them that the mental health and well-being of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders be included in the Council of Australian Governments’ Closing the Gap on disadvantage program as an additional target.

The National Congress of Australia’s First Peoples has welcomed the recommendation, so too the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO), which represents over 150 Aboriginal community controlled medical services across the country.

NACCHO’s chairman, Justin Mohamed, says incorporating mental health as a target in the program would help better track progress.

“We know that mental health and emotional and spiritual well being has a major impact on our communities, especially our young people. So we would welcome any form of targets or a position where the government can report back on how they are going with closing the gap, particularly in this field of mental health”

The National Mental Health Commission says Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders must be at the centre of thinking and decision-making on mental health initiatives and suicide prevention.

It also advises that training and employment of Indigenous Australians in mental health services must increase.

The Chief Executive of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Healing Foundation, Richard Weston, says historically Aboriginal people have not had great experiences with the mental health system, so to breakdown barriers and build trust it is going to be critical to have Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people involved in the delivery of services.

“But we need Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders who are well trained and skilled, who can hold their own with other mental health professions. So we need good education and good training processes to ensure that the standard of care that we are able to provide to our people is able to meet the high level of need that is out there.”

Mental illness is experienced by nearly half (45 per cent) of the Australian adult population at some point over their lifetime.

Commission chairman Professor Allan Fels says people from all backgrounds are affected, and that in its future reports the Commission plans to focus on various vulnerable groups.

“We know that there are lots of issues, problems and system gaps and many different groups of people, such as people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, veterans, refugees, people with intellectual disability, those living with borderline disability disorders and others face very real challenges. In the years ahead we will work on additional areas requiring a special focus such as these as separate pieces of work.”

Oct 10 2012

IAHA:Improving Indigenous mental health outcomes is a collaborative effort

 MEDIA RELEASE from Indigenous Allied Health Australia (IAHA)

During Mental Health Week, on World Mental Health Day, Wednesday 10 October 2012, Indigenous Allied Health Australia (IAHA) calls for a comprehensive, culturally safe, interprofessional approach to mental health care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

“Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people suffer a higher burden of emotional distress and mental illness than that experienced by the wider community.” said Ms Faye McMillan, Chairperson of IAHA. “The social and emotional wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, which includes their mental health, is influenced by multiple, complex factors.

This demands a comprehensive, interdisciplinary approach that takes into account the holistic view of health held by many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.”

“No single health profession alone will be able to meet the complex mental healthcare needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people,” said Ms McMillan. “In order to truly make a difference and improve mental health outcomes for our people, we will all need to work together.”

IAHA is committed to building and supporting the allied health workforce to improve Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mental health outcomes.

“Our members come from a diverse number of allied health professions who can positively impact on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mental health outcomes.” said Ms McMillan. “We have social workers, psychologists, occupational therapists and now Indigenous Mental Health Practitioners – all of whom, individually and collaboratively, can play a part in improving mental health.”

“I encourage all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to think outside the square and consider a career in allied health, you can really make a difference.” said Kylie Stothers, an Aboriginal social worker living in Katherine, NT.

“Mental illness and suicide are huge issues for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, family and communities, particularly in rural and remote areas. We need more allied health professionals out here on the ground in order to successfully tackle these issues.”

IAHA acknowledges the Mental Health Council of Australia’s theme for Mental Health Week 2012, “Whoever you are or wherever you live, you’re not alone”. Unfortunately this statement implies equitable access to mental health services and support structures, which is not always the case.

“Access to mental health services means more than just availability or geographic location of a service.” said Ms McMillan. “Access to mental health services is also influenced by the appropriateness, affordability and acceptability of the service. Providers of mental health services, including allied health professionals, must ensure that they deliver culturally competent mental healthcare to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. It is imperative that health professionals have a comprehensive understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander issues, particularly as they pertain to mental health.”

Indigenous Allied Health Australia (IAHA) is the national peak body for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander allied health professionals and students.

For more information, please contact Craig Dukes on 02 6285 1010.

Oct 8 2012

NACCHO Aboriginal health media release for Mental Health Week Oct 2012

Aboriginal health leader calls on Aboriginal communities, families and government  agencies to talk openly and honestly about so called mental health issues?

Mr Justin Mohamed, Chair of NACCHO representing over 150 Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations throughout Australia has used  the launch of this  weeks  Mental Health Week and its theme “Whoever you are and wherever you live, you’re not alone” to call on all communities and family members to make sure that their members are not alone. He also called on all levels of government to support Aboriginal people and organisations with Aboriginal community control of specific Aboriginal mental health programs

Building on the current theme Mr Mohamed went on to explain;

Whoever you are the engagement of Aboriginal people with mental health services has traditionally been fraught with difficulty. Even the expression “mental health” is a major barrier for people to seek help and support, in fact most of our members refer to this issue as social and emotional well being. The stigma and stereotyping that all contribute to the limited use of current mental health services are other major barriers

Wherever you live geographic isolation, a lack of culturally appropriate services, a lack of Aboriginal  staff within available services, limited training of mental health service staff regarding Aboriginal issues, also contribute to the limited use of current mental health services by Aboriginal people. The lack of Aboriginal people in trained psychologist, counseling roles compounds the issue.

Your not alone is a key factor where we need to encourage community members  to talk with family and friends about their social and emotional wellbeing issues to restore their connections to community, family, the land and their spirituality, because research has shown those things underpin wellbeing.

 Mr Mohamed said a key principle of the Close the Gap campaign has been that Aboriginal people should be part of policies and program to improve the health and wellbeing of our own people.

As an example NACCHO is currently working with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Suicide Prevention Advisory Group and the Menzies School to develop the nation’s first Indigenous Suicide Prevention Strategy making sure that it is coherent and comprehensive strategy and backed by a strong evidence base.

The Advisory Group, chaired by Tom Calma, has also provided guidance on how the government can most effectively invest the $6 million in funding over four years committed to reduce Indigenous suicide under the Taking Action to Tackle Suicide package.

Mr Mohamed said we’ve long known that rates of suicide in Aboriginal communities are higher than the wider Australian population. But we’re much less clear about why this is the case. Each life lost to suicide reminds us of the need to better identify the causes and implement effective prevention strategies.

According to a study from Diego de Leo, Griffith University released last month between 1994 and 2006, the rate of suicide in Indigenous people averaged 25.7 per 100,000 people – about 70% higher than in non-Indigenous Australians. Although rates have been decreasing in recent year’s suicide among Indigenous people remains disproportionately high relative to non-Indigenous Australians. As a social issue, suicide is entwined with tangible and intangible influences of gender, ethnicity, connectedness, and mental and physical well-being.

But the study concluded there are also unique aspects of Indigenous society and culture that offer hope for the future in reducing the burden of suicide mortality. Indigenous society promotes social cohesion, extended familial ties and spontaneous support, which can all lower the risk of suicide. After all, suicide was almost unknown in traditional Aboriginal society.

“We hope that by NACCHO Affiliate and Members promoting the so called Mental Health week and its theme “Whoever you are and wherever you live, you’re not alone” we can make our communities and the Government agencies more responsive to the broader issues around the many wellbeing issues of our people” Mr Mohamed said

NACCHO media contact: Colin Cowell 0401 331 251 media@naccho.org.au