Topic Tuesday // What is mental health reform and why is it important for you // Feb 14, 7-9pm AEDT

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@Diprotodon wrote:
I've also found that the stigma reduction never refers to serious or chronic mental illness, really only depression and anxiety. What would really help is awareness and support for the severe and chronic illnesses. I've encountered far too many times "I've had depression, and I just exercised and I got through it". (From my boss when I asked for support in the workplace)

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@Former-Member I agree! The vast amount of talk in the media about MI really only refers to anxiety and depression. As an aside, it kind-of bugs me that MI is used as a generic term. I mean, we don't lump all physical illnesses together as "physical illness." No one would think to lump cancer, diabetes and a broken leg together as "physical illness" yet we lump depression, BPD, Schizophrenia etc together as MI. I wonder why that is. Sorry, that's really off topic isn't it.

In Victoria but I think it's the same all over. Most secure and well equiped hospital is Thomas Embling attached to the prison system. My son got in Jan 2011 served six month sentence for assaulting me, good police, heard him talk, forensic Dr, went here 3 weeks into remand stay after sentencing. Got terrible prognosis when discharged in July when his sentence ended, was told were considering drug testing and putting him in SRS but decided against both as felt drug testing would be futule and he would just walk out of SRS .. he has fulfulled their prognosis, he needs to go back so they can finish what they started, they are the only hospital I trust or have any faith in! But it's now bursting at it seems and need to commit serial murder to get in! Oh and Many Dr's don't know option to send him there I've had Dr's say court needs to do that and Police don't know, I tell them and they look into it and tell me Magistrate said Dr's need to send him (arghhh) Any of them can but oh .. not possible any more, even TE is breaking! I believe the panel on the tribunal in secu in December did listen to me, and decided he's too sick and too much of an addict and also listened to his threats to then to *hurt himself or commit a bad crime to get put in prison instead of hospital .. or combination of both .. I think the reason they did not put him in is because they knew they had no chance of keeping him away from drugs (sigh learned ICE is in secu and first time he went into Dandenong Acute told me in secu but not there and after his first stay there it was in there too. I learned after they messed up administering **** (the only medicine that works and it did prove to work that time, despite them not being able to get in him what they needed) in the community 2012 (oh what a mess, he won) it's dangerous to do it that way. So put him in secu .. nope .. NOTHING FOR HIM, NO GENUINE TREATMENT, ANYWHERE.

I think things are changing @Former-Member I was invited to speak at a medical school quite recently and was really encouraged by the way the students were taking about mental health - including their own!

My kids are early 20s now, and their conversations and understanding is way, way ahead of where I was at that age - society is changing around us, and these kids will build our future 🙂

Working within health care for many years, I have now recently become a carer for my daughter who has autism, bipolar with dissaociative identity issues. I am embarresed to say that I thought 'it wouldn't happen to me' because I was too smart to let mental health creap into our lives. I knew and practiced the best practice principles to 'avoid' these from happening. Guess what? News Flash? Mental health conditions don't discriminate!

My wish is for mental health conditions to be treated with the same imporatance, validity and action as stroke, cancer, heart attack. Clear evidenced based Optimal Care Pathways, coordinated care, fast and effective assessment and treatment. It's time we all accepted that we need Brain and Behavioural Centres of Care, specialists that are paid appropriately in order to make effective treatment plans. We need to stop thinking a popup community solutions are enough. We need to work together.. outpatient services, in patients services, clinics and community organisations for both regional and metro areas.

@FrankGQuinlan Another question I have involving normalising MH conditions is related to workplaces. I've found it exceedingly difficult to be honest about needing mental health days off, and feel plagued by guilt every time I need to tell a white lie in order to get the time off I need. Employers are always deeply sceptical and assume that you are 'soft' or somehow scamming the system. Are we looking into investing in educating businesses about the importance of being tolerant about MH conditions? Does anyone know if there are there already organisations that are flying the flag for this one?

patients do have rights @MMHReal - but we have to do better at enforcing them. We also have to do better at changing the attitudes that result int eh kind of experience that you have had. Building a better system so that others dont have to expereince the same!

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@FrankGQuinlan wrote:

I think things are changing @Former-Member I was invited to speak at a medical school quite recently and was really encouraged by the way the students were taking about mental health - including their own!

My kids are early 20s now, and their conversations and understanding is way, way ahead of where I was at that age - society is changing around us, and these kids will build our future 🙂

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@FrankGQuinlan It is interesting you say that. I have only just for the first time in my life connected with a GP who takes an interest in my mental health. She is a brand new graduate and she is very open about the fact that she knows very little about mental health...and yet she is the best GP I have ever had. I think the difference is that she knows she doesn't know stuff, she respects that I've been dealing with my stuff since she was pretty much in nappies, and she is putting a lot of time and effort into learning more. So yes, I think you are right about the generation coming through.

I share your wish @GlassHalfFull, and wish for a day when mental health was just another conditions - like the flu

Your experience may give comfort to others, who may expereince guilt, but should not - because as you say "mental health does not discriminate"