General

Perspectives Newsletter - May/June 2015. For the past twenty years Transcultural Mental Health Services ( TMHS ) have been at the forefront in frontline mental health services addressing the significant disparities in access and quality of care received by people from culturally and linguistically diverse ( CALD ) backgrounds in Australia. This article explores the challenges around responsibility of care regarding state-wide roles and functions in an ever changing health policy context.

Perspectives Newsletter - May/June 2015.The role of nutrition in both the origin and the management of mental health disorders is a rapidly growing area of research. Mental health disorders can be seen through the lens of a lifecourse perspective, which requires an integrated approach to management of exposure to risk factors, the delivery of preventive interventions, and the treatment of symptomatic disease. This article explores how nutrition is important across each of these domains.

Perspectives Newsletter - May/June 2015. This year, the Mental Health Carers Voice program has started hosting monthly drop-in sessions to provide carers with an avenue for sharing and exchanging information about the National Disability Insurance Scheme, which commenced in the ACT on 1 July 2014. This article explores a method of engaging with carers that has been trialled by Carers ACT ’s Mental Health Carers Voice program since January 2015. While the trial period is still in its early days, evidence suggests that monthly drop-in sessions are valuable for carers, service providers and policy makers.

This is an open letter to the Prime Minister, The Hon Tony Abbott MP , imploring the Australian Government to take urgent action to ensure continuity of services and programs for Australians who live with mental illness, and those who care for them. While the seventy signatories understand the Government will be formulating its response to the National Mental Health Commission’s Review of Mental Health Services and Programmes, the continued uncertainty is now resulting in staff attrition and service wind down. This issue has now reached crisis point.