In this edition

News Bites
Events
Mental Health News
Cast Your Vote
Feedback
Well Ways
Advocacy
Support Us

Events - Bruce Woodcock Lecture

This year's guest lecturer for the annual Bruce Woodcock lecture has been selected and is heading to Australia for the flagship event for Schizophrenia Awareness Week in May.

Past guest lecturers have informed and enthralled and included such big names as Xavier Amador, Sam Cochran, Patrick Corrigan and Sam Tsemberis.

This year's speaker will keep the tradition of excellence going strong. He is Dr David Morris of Britain's National Institute for Mental Health will be talking about social inclusion and the National Social Inclusion Programme currently underway in the UK.

For your diary: Schizophrenia Awareness Week runs from May 11 to May 17. The Bruce Woodcock  lecture will be on Tuesday May 19.

Alert - Change of Venue for Membership Forum

If you've ever had an idea about how you could make the mental health system better, now's the time to speak up.

Or, if you want to know what other people think about it all, now's the time to find out.

The first membership forum for 2009 is on February 17 at 6.30pm at Fairfield at the new venue of the Gestalt Therapy Institute.

The topic? The Mental Health Act and what we can do to tell government how to improve it.

On hand to facilitate will be MI Fellowship's Ruth Barr and Julie Anderson.

When: Tuesday February 17, 6:30-8:30pm
Where: Gestalt Therapy Institute
333 Heidelberg Road
Fairfield
Cost: FREE to MI Fellowship members – $5 for everyone else

RSVP your attendance to Hayley Dodd at hdodd@mifellowship.org

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MI Fellowship’s counseling service

Cast Your Vote!

Are you optimistic that the review of the Mental Health Act will result in better outcomes for people with a mental illness?
Yes
No

Click here to see the results of last edition's Cast Your Vote!

Do you have a question about mental illness that you would like Cast Your Vote to address? Send us an email at membership@mifellowship.org

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Feedback

Congratulations to all the CGEA grads and good luck as you move ahead!
- Daniel

I always look forward to receiving MI Voice and the last one was no exception.
- John

Horrible to hear about the Northcote shooting in your newsletter. I think it's important though that we don't blame the police officers, who must be going through hell, but focus on how we can get them better training.
- Lynne

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Volunteers - Be A Visitor

Remember that New Year's resolution to get more involved in your local community?

You can keep it! By spending as little as a few hours per fortnight volunteering with MI Fellowship.

We're currently looking for Op Shop volunteers for our Kew and Northcote stores.

The upside is you'll be helping out a great cause, meeting interesting people and getting first dibs on any specials coming through the door.

The downside is... um... ... well let us know if you find one.

Eager to get started? Then just email Stacia at sbeazley@mifellowship.org and she'll fill you in from there.

FEBRUARY 10, 2009
From our CEO

Hello , WELCOME TO THIS EDITION OF THE MI FELLOWSHIP E-NEWSLETTER

Welcome to the first edition of 2009 and I hope that you all had a great festive season and took some time off to relax this summer.

We've been hard at work, though, getting ready for another big year at MI Fellowship as we identify the main themes and issues we'll be fighting to promote throughout the next 12months.

You'll notice a strong emphasis on community in this issue of MI Voice Update and this is no mere coincidence. With the global financial climate taking a turn for the worse, it is more important now than ever that we look out for each other and that we continue to strive to improve the lives of people with a mental illness and their families.

Please enjoy this edition of MI Voice Update and, as always, I look forward to hearing your responses,

Regards,
Elizabeth Crowther
CEO
Mental Illness Fellowship Victoria

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News Bites

STEPPING OUT WITH STEP UP, STEP DOWN

On January 8 MI Fellowship, in partnership with ACT Mental Health, opened a new Step Up, Step Down centre in the Canberra suburb of Lyneham.

Step Up, Step Down programs, known as PARC centres in Victoria, provide an important midway point for people who have just exited from acute psychiatric care but need more support to transition back into the community. They also assist people who need support to prevent the onset of an episode of mental illness but are not so unwell that they require an in-patient stay in hospital.

As well as giving people with a mental illness more options for managing their illness, the program also helps to improve community understanding of mental illness and relieve some of the pressure on acute inpatient beds.

MI Fellowship, based on our experience running PARC centres in South Yarra and Shepparton, is providing the psychosocial support for the Lyneham Step Up Step Down. ACT Mental Health is providing the clinical support.

The Step Up Step Down centre was officially opened by ACT Health Minister Katy Gallagher and attracted a lot of interest from government and community services as well as extensive coverage by ACT media.

To see a sample of the media coverage, click here.

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IT'S YOUR ABC

Two major items of interest from ABC Television have come to our attention this edition.

Firstly, is their presentation of the documentary Stephen Fry: The Secret Life Of The Manic Depressive which is hosted by UK actor and author Stephen Fry and delves into both his own experiences with bipolar disorder and how the condition affects others.

The first part screened on February 9 and the second part, which has a focus on treatments for bipolar, goes to air at 9.35pm on ABC1 on February 16. For more information about the program, click on this link.

The other major news is that Andrew Denton's special on mental illness, Angels and Demons, filmed at the 2007 Annual Mental Health Services Conference in Melbourne, has now been released on DVD. Along with the original special, the DVD contains additional interviews and a special feature with Heidi Everett in concert. Click here to visit the ABC Shop's entry for it.

MEMBER INITIATIVES - MINDS UNLEASHED

At the Bruce Woodcock lecture of 2007, Dr Patrick Corrigan told us all that the best way to fight the stigma and discrimination is for people with a mental illness to get out in the community and share their view of the world.

Now's your chance, thanks to MI Fellowship member Nicci Wall, who is co-ordinating a new collection of poems by people with a mental illness, their families and friends, called Minds Unleashed – A Collection Of Poetry By People With A Mental Illness.

You may remember Nicci from the project Glimpses – A Compilation of Uncensored Real Life Experiences With Mental Illness, which collected stories from people living the experience and shared with the world. Minds Unleashed is a result of the universal acclaim that Glimpses received and the hunger from the public for more.

Minds Unleashed will be distributed in PDF format on a regular basis and will be avaiable to the general public free of charge.

If you, a loved one or someone you know has a mental illness and writes poetry, you should get in touch with Nicci to submit your piece. Your name will be displayed at the end of your poem, though you can use a false name if you prefer.

To find out more or to make your submission, contact Nicci Wall on forwalls@xi.com.au

CUNNINGHAM DAX IS BACK!

Detail of David Rellim Shadowed Sorrow 2007-8.
Oil on canvas 76.2 x 76.2 cm

MI Fellowship's relationship with the Cunningham Dax Gallery grows stronger this month as MI Fellowship members are offered a guided tour of the gallery's latest exhibition.

"Beyond the Three Trees" is a collection of works created by people with a mental illness where the art on display is also a gateway to the psychological world of the artist. As well as modern pieces, the exhibition provides the first ever public glimpse at the tree drawings produced under test condition at the Royal Park Hospital during the 1960s.

The Cunningham Dax is Victoria's largest collection of art works produced by people with a mental illness and is dedicated to helping the community understand the experience and creativity of people with a mental illness.

To register your early interest for a guided tour, contact membership co-ordinator Stacia Beazley on 8486 4250 or via e-mail at membership@mifellowship.org.

To have a look at the catalogue for "Beyond the Three Trees" click here and to visit the Cunningham Dax Collection's website, click here.

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Mental Health News

THE LATEST MENTAL HEALTH HEADLINES

NEW RESEARCH STUDIES INCH CLOSER TO CAUSE OF SCHIZOPHRENIA

Two recent research studies are getting us closer and closer to understanding where schizophrenia comes from and allowing better early interventions.

Read the article here

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A LONELY LIFE

Almost half of people with mental illness have no close relationship in their lives, according to findings from a study.

The survey of people with a diagnosed mental illness found that while 49 per cent had no close relationship, more than one in three (35 per cent) responded they'd not had sex for a year and 13 per cent said they'd had no physical contact whatsoever with another person for 12 months.

Read the article here

Volunteer to visit a person with mental illness, contact Stacia Beazley for more information!

TEACHERS AND POLICE OFFICERS TO RECEIVE MENTAL HEALTH TRAINING?

Every high school teacher and police officer in the country would be trained in "mental health first aid" under a program proposed by a Melbourne researcher.

The program would also help parents deal with children who are abusing drugs or alcohol, or had early signs of other mental illness.

Read the article here

VIDEO GAMES RISK FACTOR IN DEVELOPING DEPRESSION?

Teenagers who spend a lot of time watching TV or playing video games are at higher risk of developing depression as young adults, a study has found.

Read the article here

Tell us what you think

1 In 4 Australian children have a parent with a mental illness

Almost a quarter of Australian children are living with a parent who has a mental illness, according to new research published in the January issue of the Psychiatric Bulletin.

Read the article here

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Well Ways and Understanding Mental Illness

Being diagnosed with a mental illness isn't only a shock for the person with the mental illness, it can also be upsetting and disorienting for their families and loved ones. In many instances, they have no experience with mental illness and little understanding about what's going on or what their role in it is.

For several years now, MI Fellowship has been trying to improve people's understanding of mental illness through running courses aimed at providing an insight into mental illness, built on real-life experiences and knowledge.

The Well Ways course, which caters to family and friends of people with a mental illness, has proven so successful that it has now been rolled out across Australia. Covering a wide range of topics, Well Ways is the perfect introduction to the mental illness community.

The schedule of Well Ways workshops for the first half of 2009 has now been announced and a full run down can be found by clicking here.

As well as Well Ways, we are also running a series of "Understanding Mental Illness" workshops that look at ways of communicating with people with a mental illness effectively and increase confidence in dealing with the challenges presented by mental illness.

More information about the "Understanding Mental Illness" workshops can be found here.

Advocacy

Over the past month the Review of the Mental Health Act has been centre-stage for the Advocacy Team. Not only have we been preparing our response to the Act, we have also been assisting participants in our services to have their say at regional forums being conducted by Department of Human Services.

Consumer and carer participation is a strongly held value at MI Fellowship that we have applied in a variety of practical ways over the years. During 2009 we will review our consumer and carer participation, refining our policy commitment and developing a plan of practical measures that will extend and deepen this participation throughout our organization.

If you are interested in this project contact the Advocacy Team on 8486 4200.

Give us a hand

SUPPORT MI FELLOWSHIP

To find out more about how you can make a difference, contact Julie Marshall at jmarshall@mifellowship.org or click here to donate to our cause.

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