Have to agree that we must spend all that it takes to care for, to rehabilitate and to prevent mental illness.
My concern is how we spend the money.
The achievements of an NGO need scrutiny to evaluate its success/cost effectiveness,so only those organisations that perform continue to receive taxpayers' money.
My concern is where will the money come from.
Taxpayers are expected to subsidise so many interest groups these days that money needed for needs is being channelled into providing for less urgent wants eg. does someone in employment, earning over $50,000 per annum, really need a government grant to 'kick start' a business when its establishment costs are not more than a few thousand dollars? Look through the grant websites ( a challenge and full time job in itself) to see illustrations of petty little grants and the proliferation of grants for every occassion...( An indication of the business grants have become is the number of workshops, all funded of course, conducted to teach people how to apply for a grant ... oops...funding)
When will all levels of government learn its time to say 'no' to greed and 'yes' to need?
My concern is where we spend the money.
It is time to provide more money and resources into schools so specialists (not teachers) can recognise at risk children and provide for their needs before other problems develope due to unmet needs.

Yea' for keeping this issue alive!

Craig, my trip to Burma was a vital circuit-breaker. But there are many Vipassana courses in Australia, and there is no charge for the courses.

You wrote that doing a retreat “is something that I have thought of trying from time to time but, I must admit, it does daunt me. The monetary side of such a journey makes it somewhat of a luxury at present.”

The teaching and running of Vipassana courses in Goenka’s tradition is done entirely on a voluntary basis, and the courses and centres are funded entirely by donations from students who feel that they have benefited from practising Vipassana and want to share that benefit with others. So if you’re interested in doing a course, funding should be no barrier, so long as you can get 10-11 days free. There are centres in all states and NZ, with almost continuous courses at the centres in NSW (Blue Mountains) and Queensland (north of Brisbane), and occasional courses in more isolated places such as Darwin and Alice Springs.

As for being “daunting”, the courses are hard work, but their design and setting are very supportive. Everyone has difficulties, but over many years the drop-out rate from courses is about six per cent, those who complete the course almost all find it very beneficial.

The global website, www.dhamma.org, has more info and links to the Australian centres. I’ll be happy to tell you more about the practice if you wish.

If you can ever get to Burma, great – the people are very harmonious, generous and helpful, in spite of the oppressive regime. But better than going to Burma is doing a Vipassana course.

anomie

My general area is Toowoomba. He has an Indian sounding name. That should narrow it down sufficiently.

Good luck.

Thanks, Plantagenet. Bugger. About 1000k away. Anyone know a decent psychiatrist within 2 hours drive of Canberra? There was one, but he moved to New Zealand. To the distress of many.

Hello and thank you for your comments and feedback. Some of the drivers for a new paradigm come from what I have learned from working with refugees and new arrivals. They have helped 'free my vision' and look beyond taken-for-granted assumptions and points of view in relation to human suffering and what is considered (defined, really) as a 'good outcome' and by whom. As my teachers they have also given me strength to make some bold decisions about what services may do in response to when help is sought. And... I thank people for coming forward with their views ... Some of the issues raised in the discussion have touched on stigma, discriminaton and alienation - factors that are active across the lifespan and across all cultures. Factors that are sometimes made worse in a mental health crisis. In my learning from refugees and new arrivals I have been able to create a practical understanding the deeper meaning structures of their situation, take this forward in my teaching and public speaking and encourage my students (in particular) to make sensitive revisions of how they operate in the mainstream. While there is much still needed in leadership of mental health services (click here for another essay on this http://www.contemporarynurse.com/14-3p223.htm )it is the face-to-face interactions of what we say, do, think and believe inevitably shapes the care we give. As health professionals we must more open to the imporance of respect and humility.
Nicholas Procter

Dear Nicholas

Thank you for your last post. Much appreciated.

As a mental health/psychiatric nurse since 1978, I have very strong views about a mental health model.

"Empowerment" has almost become a corny word for consumers of mental health services. The system does not want people holding their own power and control. What the hell would bureaucrats do with their time?

A major answer to the problem is educating specialist mental health nurses. We are a dying breed. The average age of a specialist mental health nurse is 45-50 years of age. University nursing programs in relation to mental health nursing and future mental health nurses is in my view, a disgrace. I have taught in university nursing programs. I know what I am talking about. I returned to clinical nursing in community mental health. That is where the power lies for consumers and professionals.

If you need a curriculum writer, I will volunteer.

Get nursing back into hospitals where it belongs.

Cheers
Kay