WA’s 49th Mental Health Week gets underway this Saturday and this year the theme is Act Belong Commit with a focus on suicide prevention. Suicide is a complex issue with multiple interrelated factors and there is a strong link between traumatic life events, mental health issues and suicide. Mental health promotion activities contribute to suicide prevention by raising awareness and building individual and community resilience.

Mental Health Week 2016 has the most exciting program of events ever. Read on to find out about the many opportunities to get involved, most are free and where not include options for unwaged access.

WAAMH held the first of its member network forums in September to inform and consult members about the priorities and challenges for the sector. This is of great value to WAAMH in setting the direction for development and advocacy.

One specific opportunity for WAAMH to take this agenda forward is through its policy platform for the state election campaign. We are preparing this platform now with the intention of securing a response to it from the political parties in the lead up to the election.

WAAMH will be holding its Annual General Meeting and releasing its Annual Report on 4 November (2-4pm) so please hold the date and come along to find out about WAAMH’s activities in 2015/16 and plans for 2016/17.

Rod Astbury
Chief Executive Officer
WA Association for Mental Health

TOGETHER we can save lives. This is one of the key themes of Mental Health Week 2016. WAAMH has once again partnered with the H+M team at The West Australian to bring you this informative and inspiring lift-out.

A diverse range of people from around WA have shared their personal stories of struggle, survival and prevention strategies with us. The lift-out is available in today's paper and can be accessed online, here.

WAAMH is currently recruiting a Forum Project Officer.
This is a part time role, three days per week to help plan and implement the 11th National Restrictive Practices Forum, which will be held in Perth, in May 2017.
Applications close 10 October 2016.
Click here for full details.

A CREATIVE workshop for people who have been affected by the suicide of a loved one or their own self-harm, will be co-facilitated by James Berlyn and Zoe Warwick, during Mental Health Week.

This intimate event is designed to provide a gentle and participatory discussion that explores ways to better communicate about suicide.

James Berlyn is an award winning artist, director, curator and teacher with more than 25 years’ experience. He is also co-founder of the Proximity Festival. Suicide is a subject area in which James has a high degree of lived experience.

Spaces are limited, so your registration of attendance is appreciated, here: mhw.waamh.org.au

If you or someone you know is considering suicide, call Lifeline on 13 11 44.

TOGETHER as a community, the mental health sector and all individuals, have a role to play in preventing the tragic occurrence of all suicides. 

Suicide prevention initiatives and increased awareness about mental health supports and services have never been more important as they are right now, with suicide now the 13th leading cause of death in Australia, compared to 14th 10 years ago.

There is a free Suicide Prevention Forum on 13 October for mental health professionals discussing current suicide prevention strategies and projects for youth, armed with an expert panel, includes Ministerial Council for Suicide Prevention chair Dr Neale Fong and YouthFocus CEO Fiona Kalaf. Register and details, here.

If you or someone you know is experiencing suicidal thoughts,
call Lifeline on 13 11 44.

ENSURING our mental health services remain culturally respectful, accessible and appropriate to Nyoongar people is a high priority.

We are hosting a free storytelling and sharing workshop next week on 11 October for mental health professionals, up close and personal, with our inspiring and wise Nyoongar elder friends, to explain how we have learnt to work in partnership to best deliver our services and projects that are culturally sensitive and inclusive. Event details, here.

THERE are still some tickets remaining for all the action at the Perth Wildcats first home game of the season against the Cairns Taipans, and we officially begin Mental Health Week 2016.

Staying active and being part of a club or sports group is great for our mental health. To acknowledge this, Mental Health Week WA is hosting this year's Opening Ceremony at Perth Arena to watch our home team play. There will plenty of mental health information available, plus freebies, activities and games.

Tickets from $20, here at Ticketek and more information on our website.

THIS hilarious comey night is almost sold out!

Stand Up! for Comedy will be part of Mental Health Week's Closing Ceremony on October 15, hosted by Werzel Montague and featuring a stellar line-up of some of Australia’s funniest comedians including Ben Darsow, Matt Dyktynski, Damien Callinan, SUNS of FRED, Cameron McLaren, Sian Choyce, and Hayden Stevens.

Tickets are only $36. Buy your tickets and find out more here.

Part proceeds from this event will be re-invested back into community mental health. 

Thanks to the Perth Theatre Trust for another year of wonderful support.

WE hope to see you this Sunday at this bright and cheery fun day out! Join in our free, all ages Family Fun Day at Perth's brand new Elizabeth Quay.

This fun and social event will urge participants to try a range of activities to challenge themselves and their family, including hula hooping, yoga, netball, volleyball and giant knitting.

We'd love to see you there as we sing Happy Birthday to WAAMH and celebrate 50 years.

Event details found here.

NEXT week, we are running two free lunch time seminars on Monday 10 October and Wednesday 12 October at the Central Park Theatrette, thanks to the support of Rio Tinto and the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists.

Special guest speaker is the ever-engaging and knowledgeable, Blooming Minds director Tasha Broomhall.

Register and details or download the flyer.

BUILDING on the success of last year's inaugural parents night in Mental Health Week, another complimentary information session will again address how to help young people flourish, raise emotionally resilient children, embrace creativity, spot early warning signs as part of prevention, and instill mentally healthy behaviours and attitudes.

The forum will be held at 6:30pm on Tuesday 11 October at Perth College in Mt Lawley. Speakers include The Very Reverend Richard Pengelley - Dean of Perth and advisor and IZRA founder Cassie Fox-Kirtisingham. Register and details.

NEW on the block, PeerZone Consultancy specialises in consulting, mentoring and training for consumer engagement and peer service development in mental health, general health and disability services.

A team of eight professional and peer leaders from Australia and New Zealand with expertise in policy, service development, service delivery, training and evaluation will deliver the services to organisations in WA. Free mentoring sessions are available by phone or Skype.
Flyer: http://online.flipbuilder.com/pall/luvb/

THIS nationally recognised training course, specialises in Community Mental Health Recovery and psycho-social rehabilitation. The accredited six month course has been very popular again in 2016 and two classes have recently completed their courses.

Enrolments for the next Certificate IV course are scheduled to commence in February 2017 and registrations will open soon.

Once again, the six-month course will be offered in two formats through a week day option. To register your interest in the next Cert. IV Mental Health course, click here or to find out more about the course click here.

THE WA Primary Health Alliance has established the Primary Health Exchange, an online consultation hub for information about Primary Health Network (PHN) projects, where people can provide input to the planning and design of primary health care in WA.

Here you can view a video about stepped care approaches to mental health and ask a question for the WAPHA team to respond to: http://phexchange.wapha.org.au/

YOUR physical health is just as important as your mental health and both can influence each other.

Now you can keep your own personal medical records with the physical health diary App to track and improve your health, particularly if you take mental health medications.

The App has been developed by The University of Western Australia and the Mental Health Commission, to assist people to track and improve their health over time, particularly those who take psychotropic medication.

Suitable for consumers, carers and health practitioners, this App can be downloaded here or via your smart phone or tablet: www.physicalhealthdiary.com.au

The five main areas the App focuses on are medication effects; lifestyle factors; physical disorders and allergies; alcohol and other substance use; and social factors. 

How many times are you asked to explain the National Disability Insurance Scheme?  Do you wish you could point people in the right direction?  Are you looking for some substance and not just a brochure?

The Parliamentary Library has produced a quick guide that answers some pertinent questions:

• What is the NDIS replacing?
• What is meant by ‘insurance scheme’?
• Who can access the individual packages?
• How much will it cost?
• How will it be funded?

The Quick Guide can be found here.

A MEASURE to strip Disability Support Pension entitlements from people in psychiatric confinement had been included in the federal Government’s Omnibus Bill.

Following many submissions to the Senate inquiry considering this legislation, including by Carers Australia ,WAAMH and Mental Health Australia, the proposal was successfully dropped.

LAST month, WAAMH gave evidence to the Senate Committee Inquiry on Indefinite detention people with cognitive and psychiatric impairment, alongside Mental Health Matters 2. We highlighted the problems with the Criminal Law (Mentally Impaired Accused) Act 1996 and the resistance to reform despite more than 15 years of advocacy.

The United Nations has urged Australia to amend laws that lead to people with mental disabilities being detained indefinitely, after a review into the detention and ongoing supervision of Geraldton man Marlon Noble. The UN also urged the government to immediately end his supervision saying the supervision conditions constitute a violation of his rights.

WAAMH president Alison Xamon said: “We didn’t need the UN report to tell us serious human rights abuses are occurring under this Act, but here it is in black and white."

To further strengthen this campaign, Ms Xamon and DDWA CEO Taryn Harvey penned a powerful opinion piece in The West Australian.

Read the full UN report here.

WA’s Attorney General remains opposed to contemporary reforms that will meet human rights standards with a new working group established to advise the AG on how to make mandatory and indefinite detention work better. WAAMH has met with the working group and remains concerned about their limited Terms of Reference. No further information is publicly available.

AUSTRALIANS living in regional areas are more likely to be hospitalised for a mental health condition, or for intentionally harming themselves, than those based in metro areas, according to the Healthy Communities: Hospitalisations for mental health conditions and intentional self-harm in 2013–14 report.

The report showed hospitalisations for mental health conditions were twice as high in some communities than for others. 

The urgent need for greater investment in supports to respond earlier to people in regional areas is clear.

WAAMH held the first of its members only Community Mental Health Leadership Network events in September. 

Attendees at the event discussed and explored key areas of challenge for community mental health consumers, carers and providers, including: NDIS, PHNs, DCSP – Partnership Forum, Service reforms and The 10 year MHAOD Plan. A summary of notes and presentations will be sent to all full members of WAAMH shortly – watch your inbox!

Also at this event, WAAMH presented a system map of ‘mental health’ in WA – including links to Commonwealth policy and funding sources. The live map can be accessed at: https://bmckinney.kumu.io/the-reform-environment-a-systems-perspective-v2. An added benefit of the live map is the ability to hover over any individual player and see their direct connections stand out.  Further work will be undertaken to expand out parts of the map that currently represent groupings.

WAAMH will take the feedback from the forum forward through its advocacy agenda, including its strategy for the state election campaign.

WAAMH is preparing its policy platform for the state election campaign with the aim of securing commitments from the parties that will progress the reform agenda outlined in the WA Mental Health, Alcohol & Other Drugs Plan 2015-25.

Labor has released its Putting Patients First policy which includes a commitment to develop Medihotels, Urgent Care Clinics and a state-wide, coordinated Methamphetamine Action Plan.

We note that this policy has a focus on reducing pressure on hospital beds, and the evidence, most recently from AHURI, which establishes that the provision of accommodation and community mental health supports reduces hospital stays.

WAAMH looks forward to engaging with the parties in the preparation of their mental health policies and to see how they will rebalance mental health investment towards prevention, accommodation and community mental health services as envisaged by the ten year plan.

IN JULY, the State Government approved the development of a model of service and legislation to facilitate a compulsory alcohol and other drug (AOD) treatment program in WA.

The Mental Health Commission has begun the process of seeking input from the community on what a compulsory AOD treatment program should look like.

Provide input by 1 December 2016, with the help of these materials: www.mhc.wa.gov.au/mentalhealth_changes/Compulsory_Treatment.aspx

TAKING over from outgoing National Mental Health Commission CEO David Butt is Dr Peggy Brown.

Dr Brown has extensive experience in mental health leadership and advocacy roles, and was most recently Chief Psychiatrist for the NT and Chair of the Queensland Mental Health Commission.

THE Department of Social Services and Centrelink are working in partnership to field test a new assessment process for Carer Payment and Carer Allowance.

The field test will run between September and December 2016.
Further Information can be found at www.dss.gov.au/carerfieldtest

A PUBLIC lecture by Hiram E. Fitzgerald, Ph.D. University Distinguished Professor, on 10 October at Edith Cowan University, will argue that preschool age, male children of alcoholics construct a mental model or representation of adult use of alcohol and interpersonal relationships, that substantially increases their risk for addictive and antisocial behaviour.

The presentation will focus on neurobiological, epigenetic, and experiential evidence to support these contentions.      Lecture details here.

REMEMBER to start thinking about any content you want to present at The WA Mental Health Conference on 13 -14 July 2017 at the Perth Concert Hall. 

All submissions are welcome – you don’t need to be an expert!

Call for Content will open later this month and you can sign up to receive all conference-related updates in the interim here: waamh.org.au/wa-mental-health-conference-2017/contact-us.aspx
 

Learn more at waamh.org.au/conference

PEAK carer body, Carers WA is hosting social support events all around Perth during its annual Carers Week, 16-22 October.

Events will be held in Perth, Carine, Burswood, Canning Vale, Belmont and Joondalup. For all the details, dates and venues, dowload the flyer. 

For more information or to RSVP to any of these events please contact the Carers WA Events Team on 1300 CARERS (1300 227 377) or email events@carerswa.asn.au

THRIVE is a one-day introduction to understanding mental wellbeing and maintaining our psychological health. Packed with tips to build resilience, manage emotions, reduce stress and achieve balance, think of this workshop as a health kick for your mind!
Where: Workzone Building, Level 1, 1 Nash Street, Perth
When: 13 October 2016
Cost: Members $195 / non-members $245
Register here.

EXAMINING the complex relationship between substance use or addiction and mental health problems, this workshop will address questions such as: What is the relationship between substance use and mental health issues? Does one cause the other? And why do they so often occur together?
Where: Workzone Building, Level 1, 1 Nash Street, Perth
When: 19 October 2016
Cost: Members $195 / non-members $245
Register here.

THIS course can assist service providers and front-line staff to respond appropriately to threatening, violent, aggressive and other unexpected or inappropriate behaviour.
Where: Workzone Building, Level 1, 1 Nash Street, Perth
When: 27 October 2016
Cost: Members $195 / non-members $245
Register here

Click here to view a list of all WAAMH's upcoming events.