Over 35 per cent had experienced some form of mental health issue and more than 80 per cent knew a close friend or relative with similar experiences. Nearly three in ten said they had been discriminated against or knew someone who had, for mental health problems. And while most said they would be happy to talk about their mental health problems at church, seven in ten said their churches offered no resources to deal with it.

Previous research by ComRes showed that mental health issues account for nearly 25 per cent of the disease quota in Britain yet attracts just 11 per cent of NHS spending.

A recent BBC story stated that universities are facing a 10 per cent rise in demand for counselling services from students, with recorded mental health cases having risen from 8,000 to 18,000 between 2008 and 2012.

The online research was conducted via Christian Research’s panel of around 17,000 practising Christians across the UK, with 1,275 responding between 5 and 7 October.

“This is a clear sign that churches need to provide a more supportive space for their congregations to explore these issues,” said Maddy Fry, the researcher behind the study.

Earlier this year the UK’s largest Christian disability charity, Livability, joined forces with Premier Mind and Soul to create new resource to help churches better understand people with mental health needs in their congregations.

Christian Today reported that Katharine Welby-Roberts, an associate at Livability and the Archbishop of Canterbury’s daughter, who has spoken publicly regarding her struggles with depression, said: “As anti-stigma campaigns, such as Time to Change, begin to see societal attitudes towards mental health change, the Church has begun to recognise the need to better support people with mental health needs in their congregations.” She said that churches wanted to support people with mental health problems, but did not know how. “This can often lead to isolation or people leaving the Church because they feel misunderstood or not catered for. I believe the Church is a key untapped local resource which can support people with mental health needs.”

This article first appeared on ‘Christian Today’ on 15 October 2015.

During Mental Health Week last week, Health Minister Cameron Dick unveiled the Queensland Mental Health Promotion, Prevention and Early Intervention Plan 2015-17, which aims to improve the mental health and wellbeing of Queenslanders by taking early action.

Mr Dick also announced more than $450,000 in funding to improve mental health through greater social inclusion and community participation, particularly in regional areas.

In Parliament yesterday Ms Howard highlighted the government’s commitment to youth mental health, in light of the LNP’s closure of the Barrett Adolescent Centre, which is currently the subject of a commission of inquiry headed by the Hon. Margaret A Wilson QC.

“The Palaszczuk Government values the mental health of our youth and has committed $11.8 million over four years to rebuild mental health care for young people in Queensland after the last three years of neglect,” she said.

Ms Howard also emphasised the importance of working together as a society that values mental health.

“Mental health is an issue that touches all of our lives at some point, either personally or through the experiences of friends and family,” Ms Howard said.

“Most of us can manage these issues and get on with our lives, but others need help.

“Whether as a government, a community or individually, we must do everything we can to assist them.”

Meanwhile the Opposition today sought a bipartisan approach to mental health support services by harmonising two bills currently before Parliament.

Shadow Minister for Health Mark McArdle said it was crucial politics was left at the door when dealing with such an important issue as mental health.

“Currently there are two bills before Parliament, one introduced by the LNP in April and the other introduced by Labor in September,” Mr McArdle said.

“Both bills aim to improve and maintain the health and wellbeing of persons with a mental illness and ensure Queenslanders are supported through evidence based clinical practice.

“In the Minister’s speech introducing the government bill into the house he said, the ‘bills have many reform directions in common’.

“Given the Minister’s comments, it makes sense to present one single Mental Health bill supported by all sides of politics.

“The LNP has written to the Minister for Health and the Chair of the Parliamentary Health and Ambulance Services Committee Leanne Linard calling for one, unified bill on Mental Health.

“In the letter we have requested an extension of the reporting time to allow for this process to occur.

“We are also open to work with the government on any differences within the bills, proposing for any issue to be set aside and worked through individually to form a set of consensus clauses.”

Mr McArdle said one bill, being supported by all sides of politics sends a clear message that mental health is a clinical area where a great deal of bipartisanship exists.

“By working together we can deliver a bill that improves the lives of the nearly 20% of Queenslanders affected by a mental disorder each year,” he said.

The West Moreton Mental Health Collaborative held a number of free community events around the Ipswich region during Mental Health Week last week, including a morning walk, a community showcase at The Park Centre for Mental Health, an information night and a free breakfast in Queens Park and held a silent art auction at the Ipswich Community Art Gallery. Aftercare also hosted an early childhood mental health forum.

This article first appeared on ‘Queensland Times’ on 14 October 2015.

The university student is the creator and illustrator of Motivating Giraffe, a series of hand-drawn pictures accompanied by inspirational quotes.

The 22-year-old started sketching her red and yellow cartoon companion to help work through her own depression and now thousands more are also benefiting from her creativity.

Ms Redshaw’s hand-drawn pictures quickly gained momentum online after the social science student began posting the drawings on Facebook.

The Motivational Giraffe Facebook page is growing in popularity every day, and currently boasts more than 4,500 likes.

“The more I started getting messages from people telling me the pictures had made their day or helped them through a tough time, the more I wanted to spread the message that it’s okay to not be okay,” Ms Redshaw said.

“It’s not okay that in 2015 we are still afraid to ask for help because of the stigma that goes along with it.”

The local student, who was planning to go into foreign aid after graduating, said she never expected to be an illustrator.

“I’ve never been good at drawing. I hadn’t picked up a pencil since art in Year 9,” she said.

“In fact the giraffe was actually going to be a cat before I realised I couldn’t draw cats.

“When Motivating Giraffe started gaining popularity someone suggested I make a book so I started a kickstarter and made $6500.”

Ms Redshaw used that funding to publish her first book containing about 100 sketches.

The young artist is preparing to release her second book in December this year.

“I’m going to continue to do this for a year after I graduate in December and then see where it goes from there,” she said.

“The world we live in is not nice a lot of the time. The internet is also full of things that are not nice. I guess Motivational Giraffe is a way to spread something kindness instead of cruelty, love instead of hatred, encouragement instead of criticism. It’s nice to make something good.”

Ms Redshaw shared her advice for other people who might be also struggling with their mental health.

“When I was a teenager I thought it would go away so I wouldn’t tell anyone,” she said.

“It won’t go away and you have to talk about it.

“Tell a doctor, tell a friend, tell your pastor, tell someone.

“I know there is someone reading this that is so afraid to make that call, to take that leap. Take a breath, my beautiful friend. You deserve so much more.”

Visit the ‘Motivating Giraffe’ Facebook page to see more of Ms Redshaw’s work.

This article first appeared on ‘Queensland Times’ on 10 October 2015.

National Mental Health Week aims to “promote social and emotional wellbeing to the community, encouraging people to maximise their health potential.” In past years the media has facilitated a productive discussion about mental illness that engages experts, sufferers and non-sufferers alike. Special events will take place across the country and the national broadcaster will air a series of programs dedicated to the issue. More than ever, Australians are recognising the seriousness and scale of mental health problems in the community. Accordingly, stigma towards sufferers of chronic mental illness is declining.

Mental illness is a major public health issue in Australia, with around one in five adults being affected by some form of mental disorder every year. It is disproportionately prevalent amongst certain groups such as those from low socioeconomic backgrounds or who are homeless. Unemployment, isolation and years of drought means that rural Australians are 66 per cent more likely to commit suicide than those who live in the cities. Generational disadvantage means that Indigenous mental health remains a grave situation. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people have a suicide rate five times that of the general population.

The detrimental impact of immigration detention upon children’s development and mental health is well-documented. The Australian Human Rights Commission’s inquiry into children in detention published last year entitled The Forgotten Children, presented a horrific picture of the consequences upon children of being detained. Rather than respond to its findings, Tony Abbott’s government responded to its release with character assassination and calls for the resignation of the commission’s President, Dr Gillian Triggs.

The inquiry accepted almost 250 submissions and interviewed more than 1200 current and former detainees, highlighting a bleak picture of how Australia treats those seeking asylum here. More than 34 per cent of children in detention centres have mental health disorders comparable in seriousness to children referred to hospital-based psychiatric services. This is compared to just 2 per cent of Australian children who have disorders this severe.

A submission to the inquiry from the Westmead Children’s Hospital’s refugee and asylum seeker clinic said that more than half of asylum seeker children they treat are suffering from post-traumatic stress. It reported that many children were “deeply traumatised by their time in detention resulting in post-traumatic stress disorder, nightmares and self-harming.”

Associate Professor of Paediatrics at UNSW, Karen Zwi, told a public hearing that in addition to a raft of potential consequent mental illnesses, children who have experienced detention may suffer from “developmental delay”. The practical implication of this was highlighted by the Principal of Holroyd High School, where there is a large asylum seeker population, who stated that “some of the students actually have memory loss.”

These findings are hardly surprising. The parents of child detainees have high levels of emotional distress, with at least one in three adults suffering from mental illness. As the inquiry highlighted, detention is a dangerous place. Between January 2013 and March 2014 there were 233 assaults involving children, 33 incidents of reported sexual assault (most of which involved children), 207 incidents of self-harm and 436 incidents of threatened self-harm.

Australia’s Mental Health Commissioner, Professor Allan Fels, addressed the National Press Club in August, urging major reform of Australia’s mental health system. In a persuasive speech, he called upon “political leaders to continue to look beyond health costs to the full burden of mental illness in our society and to give mental health the priority it needs.” He discussed complex policy and funding issues, including the need for greater emphasis upon early intervention, primary care and strategies for suicide prevention.

Removing children from detention is not a complex policy issue. It breaches international law including the Convention on the Rights of the Child. This is highlighted repeatedly by the United Nations. Addressing the longer-term mental health consequences of prolonged detention of children and young people will prove more challenging. Any major mental health reform effort as advocated by Professor Fels must consider the ongoing and future needs of this vulnerable cohort.

Max Walden is a Sydney-based researcher and social justice advocate who has worked in the education and community sectors in Australia and Southeast Asia.

This article first appeared on ‘SBS’ on 8 October 2015.

“My baby boy was crying all the time and we weren’t getting much sleep – that’s when things started to go a bit downhill,” Ms Palmbas said.

“I couldn’t sleep even though I was so tired, and I was worrying all the time about every little detail about him; I was stressing over everything.

“It got to the point where I couldn’t cope and I remember ringing up my husband one day at work and said, ‘You have to come home from work’.

“I couldn’t do it anymore. I was crying all the time, I was beside myself and I didn’t want to be alone with the baby. It was horrible.”

Ms Palmbas became incapacitated, unable to live her everyday life and complete simple tasks. Her mind was swarming with negative and terrifying thoughts.

“I was having these horrible thoughts that I was going to hurt my child and that scared the life out of me – I thought I had turned into a monster who wanted to hurt this child she’s longed for,” she said.

“I didn’t know who I was and I didn’t know what was going on. I had these strange thoughts and thought they must be real. I honestly thought I was going crazy.

“I felt terrified all the time and I was in a constant state of panic. It was intense and debilitating.”

When Ms Palmbas attended a mothers’ group, everyone seemed to be coping and having it all together, which made her feel isolated in her experience.

“When it’s not spoken about, you just think that it’s just you,” she said.

“It makes it even harder when you think you’re really alone and no one understands you or is going through anything similar.”

Running away crossed Ms Palmbas’ mind many times.

“I thought I’d just pack my baby up and take him to one of my family members and just drive off, and everyone would live all the better for not having me around,” she said.

“I was just a wreck and absorbed in my thoughts in this deep dark hole. I couldn’t see any way out.”

This article first appeared on ‘ABC’ on 8 October 2015.

“What does it take to make society appreciate that mental illness can be as debilitating as physical illness?” Sydney student Xavier Eales asked the panel.

Former AFL star and founder of the Sunrise Foundation, Wayne Schwass, who has battled with depression, said that men were “just as complex” as women.

“Yet as a country and as a community, (men) aren’t supported, we aren’t encouraged to talk honestly and open about complex issues and we need to be, because the reality is a conversation can be the beginning of somebody getting help, getting appropriate treatment and that’s an important conversation to have,” Mr Schwass said.

It took 12 years after his depression diagnosis, he said, to work up the courage to sit down with his family and tell them he was unwell before going public with the information.

“It was the first time I could be authentic and that was the beginning of a slow process of recovery,” he said.

“I have people who support me in my life and if people want to make a judgment or have a different negative decision on me then that is OK, that’s their opinion.”

Teacher Melissa Sorial asked the panel for advice for parents and educators after one of her Year 8 students took her own life earlier this year.

Co-director of health and policy at the University of Sydney’s Brain and Mind Centre, Ian Hickie said one in 10 Australian teenagers had self-harmed while one in six to seven young women thought about suicide during teenage years.

“The response to the adult world is still to be rather dismissive of that, hoping he or she will grow out of it, just hoping, which is distinct from any other health problem,” he said, noting that parents don’t “hope” their children recover from chronic illnesses like asthma or diabetes.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull had shown his support in tackling mental illness but the government could follow through by implementing policy, Professor Hickie said.

“Every sector in Australia needs a national suicide prevention program, they need to start in rural and regional Australia,” he said.

Psychologist and research fellow at the University of Western Australia’s School of Indigenous Studies, Pat Dudgeon said indigenous youth suicide rates across the top half of the nation were the highest in the world.

“This is the consequences of the brutal takeover of lands, the denigration of Indigenous people, and then policies that were draconian and took away all their human rights,” Professor Dudgeon said. “So we’re probably, as a society, in a process of recovery.”

Professor Hickie said Australia had a “terrible tradition of white-guy solutions being imposed on indigenous communities” which ultimately failed.

“Pat has run several programs to demonstrate the power is within Indigenous communities but it needs to be supported in everything we do, in government policy, social policy, employment and education,” Professor Hickie said.

Chief executive of Richmond Psychiatric Rehabilitation Australia and long term mental illness sufferer, Fay Jackson, described her painful experience with schizophrenia.

“I went through a stage where I felt so alien to everybody else and I actually held onto my tongue when I was speaking so that I knew that it was me speaking,” Ms Jackson said.

She acknowledged that the choice to take medication was a “vexed” issue but said she became too unwell when she is not medicated.

This article first appeared on ‘The Australian’ on 6 October 2015.

You’ve taken the leap from front-line individual contributor to professional manager. How do you feel? Proud? Excited?

How about depressed?

Middle managers are the most likely people in an organisation to suffer from depression, according to a new study led by Seth Prins, a doctoral student at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, and recently published online in Sociology of Health & Illness. The researchers examined more than 20,000 full-time workers, segmented into four main categories: owners, managers, supervisors and workers.

Owners were defined as self-employed individuals who earned more than $US71,500 (the 90th income percentile). Managers were respondents who identified as an executive, administrative or managerial role and possessed more than a 4-year bachelor’s degree. Supervisors likewise identified as executive, administrative or managerial but did not possess a bachelor degree. (The bachelor’s degree was chosen as a proxy for skills in an attempt to separate higher-level management roles from lower-level supervisor positions).

 Owners and workers less depressed

This article first appeared on ‘Australian Financial Review’ on 28 September 2015.