Welcome - ACT Mental Health Consumer Network
Welcome to the home page of the ACT Mental Health Consumer Network, an organisation that is run by consumers for consumers.
Recent / Upcoming Events
- Monday, 1 February 2010
3.00 pm - 4.00 pm
Canberra Hearing Voices Group - meeting
[Griffin Centre - Level 2 (Meeting Room 9), 20 Genge Street, Canberra City] - Tuesday, 2 February 2010
6.00 pm - 6.30 pm
Mental Illness Education ACT - 'Opening Minds' radio program
[ 2XX FM = 98.3 MHz or http://www.2xxfm.org.au/08/ ] - Friday, 5 February 2010
11.00 am - 1.00 pm
* ACT Mental Health Consumer Network - Drop-In *
(SPEAKER: Christine Bowman, Mental Health Community Coalition ACT)
(TOPIC: 'Reducing Stigma, especially in multicultural communities')
[Griffin Centre - Level 2 (Meeting Room 9), 20 Genge Street, Canberra City] - Sunday, 7 February 2010
11.00 am - 5.00 pm
National Multicultural Festival 2010 - ACTEW/AGL 'Contact Canberra' (community organisations)
(Contact Canberra is a true community expo. Find out about what’s going on in your community, clubs to join, activities to enjoy. Develop new interests and make new friends!)
[Stall 135 ('Mental Health ACT' stall), near the Carousel, Canberra City] - Thursday, 11 February 2010
12.00 noon - 2.00 pm
ACT Mental Health Consumer Network - Management Committee meeting
[Griffin Centre - Level 2 (Meeting Room 9), 20 Genge Street, Canberra City]
Mental Health in the Media
Here are some links to interesting articles about Mental Health and related issues :- Narrowing an eating disorder
The New York Times [New York, U.S.A.] 18 January 2010
"Today, I would probably qualify for a diagnosis of “eating disorder not otherwise specified,” usually known by its acronym, Ednos. In the current edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, it encompasses virtually every type of eating problem that is not anorexia or bulimia. Though its name is less familiar, it is diagnosed more often than those two disorders – in 4 percent of American women each year, according to the National Eating Disorders Association. (The association does not have statistics on men.) Subsets of Ednos include binge eating disorder, purging disorder, night eating syndrome, chewing and spitting out food, and even picky eating. But the diagnosis baffles many clinicians, who call it ambiguous, vague and unwieldy. And so the American Psychiatric Association is overhauling its definition of Ednos for the next edition of the diagnostic manual, known as D.S.M.-5, to be published in 2013." - Ten ways to a better you
The Times [U.K.] 24 January 2010
"Exercise is certainly more than just a way to burn calories – it has a far-reaching and powerful impact on the mind and body. It counters the adverse effects of pent-up tension and boosts blood levels of beta-endorphins, naturally occurring opiates that can heighten our mood. Other neurotransmitters such as adrenaline, serotonin and dopamine, all of which are required to produce a feeling of euphoria, are secreted in the brain during exercise. “There is a huge body of evidence showing that exercise is vital for a healthy state of mind as well as a healthy body,” says Holford. “It is known to help fight depression, anxiety, memory loss, and body-image problems. But, above all, it just makes you feel better about yourself.” " - High rate of prison medication mistakes
The Canberra Times [Australian Capital Territory, AUSTRALIA] 25 January 2010
"ACT Health officials have expressed concern about methadone overdoses and mistakes with anti-depressant medication at the Alexander Maconochie Centre. Documents issued under Freedom of Information laws cite eight incidents within a six-week period at the jail in October and November. They include multiple methadone overdoses and an inmate going six days without receiving prescribed lithium." - Mental health expert is Australian of the Year
ABC News [AUSTRALIA] 25 January 2010
"Professor McGorry is the executive director of Orygen Youth Health (OYH) and a director of the National Youth Mental Health Foundation, which is also known as Headspace. And he told the 7.30 Report that his award was a "coming of age of the mental health field". Mr Rudd paid tribute to Professor McGorry's work and thanked him for raising awareness of youth mental illness in Australia." - Tragic death highlights mental health crisis
The 7.30 Report (ABC-TV) [AUSTRALIA] 27 January 2010
"DAVID CROSBIE: I think it's time that we seriously thought about a Commonwealth takeover of community-based treatment options for people with a mental illness. Because the kinds of services that we desperately need are currently largely a state responsibility and the states are saying they either don't have the resources or the capacity to provide the number of community-based treatment beds we need in this country."