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Sarah Russell

Mental Health

Mental illness – being well and staying well

Recent discussions about 'the mentally ill' have focused attention on the suffering that many people with a mental illness endure. We are told that 'the mentally ill' experience high rates of homelessness, unemployment, suicide, substance abuse, and criminal behaviour. We hear much less about those who lead happy and fulfilling…
Sarah Russell
March 31, 2005
Mental Health

Bipolar is an illness, not a sentence

Bipolar disorder is an illness that can affect all of us, regardless of age, race, social class and cricket ability. It is important for Michael Slater to know that many people with bipolar disorder can get well, and stay well. Our research shows that staying well is rarely just about…
Sarah Russell
March 18, 2005

How to lay or lie with statistics

“One in five Australians” has become a fashionable statistic. We often see it on billboards, media releases and websites. The latest media release informs us that one in five Australian workers have had a sexual relationship with someone they work with. When 1,000 people were surveyed by Talent2, 200 people…
Sarah Russell
January 14, 2005
EducationHealth Care

Sterile nursing schools limit research

Earlier this year, nursing celebrated its twentieth anniversary as part of the university system. Although there are nursing schools in most universities, the focus is on vocational education, not scholarship. Without a commitment to scholarship, it may be more appropriate for nursing schools to be located in technical colleges. My…
Sarah Russell
November 24, 2004
Education

Curse of corporate culture

Until recently, it would have been unthinkable for academic staff at any university to attend seminars on ‘Marketing Strategies’ or ‘How to use the university logo’. Now such corporate activities are common in our public universities, particularly the newer universities. Debates about the changes within our public universities have concentrated…
Sarah Russell
September 8, 2004
Health Care

Life after life support

Data collected by the Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Society shows that 4% of patients are readmitted to intensive care. This readmission rate is currently being used to lobby for more beds in intensive care. It is argued that more beds will prevent readmissions. It is true that readmissions…
Sarah Russell
August 26, 2004

Turning homes into prisons

Victoria’s new home detention program is alarming. Electronic home detention has the potential to turn homes into prisons and families into prison wardens. Creating prisons in the home assumes that family members, especially female family members, will be available, willing and able to take on the role of prison warden.…
Sarah Russell
April 9, 2004
Health Care

Doctors, patients must speak out

Politicians, health bureaucrats and medical managers sit in comfortable offices doing deals about the future funding arrangements for our health care system. Meanwhile practitioners are forced to manage patients' blood, sputum and vomit with fewer and fewer resources. In the debate about the future of medicare, there is a noticeable…
Sarah Russell
March 12, 2004
Mental Health

Abusive nurses

So inadequately trained psychiatric nurses are being abused by patients with a mental illness (The Age, 19/01/04). What about the number of patients with a mental illness who are abused by inadequately trained psychiatric nurses? After all, it is not only nurses who suffer from a lack of resources in…
Sarah Russell
January 22, 2004
Health Care

If you really need care, public is the way to go

The recent reporting of "adverse incidents" in Victoria's public hospitals is welcome. It suggests a significant change in the culture within public hospitals. Rather than cover up mistakes, health-care professionals are being encouraged to report adverse incidents. Such reporting allows us to monitor the types of mistakes that occasionally occur…
Sarah Russell
October 12, 2003