Mental Health

We hear so much about the depressing side of mental illness. The media focuses on the high rates of suicide, homelessness, substance abuse, criminal behaviour and unemployment. The media ignores many of us with a mental illness who are happy, enjoy family life, friends, work and are engaged with our…

According to research published in The Sunday Age, those of us with bipolar disorder don't get along with other people because we have difficulty interpreting facial emotions ("Living with missed emotions", 11/1). This research should be interpreted with caution. Of the 50 people recruited to the experimental group, 33 were…

20 years ago today, on July 21st 1995, I ran down my street naked. This unusual behaviour was caused by a manic episode of bipolar disorder, an illness that I have had since I was 18 years old. Since this somewhat unfortunate episode, I have stayed well thanks to medication,…

According to a report in Sunday’s Age, those of us with bipolar disorder often experience amplified emotions, and consequently struggle in our inter-personal relations. We can also appear self-absorbed, resistant to reason and don't seem to care how people around us feel. These claims are attributed to Tamsyn Van Rheenen’s…

We hear so much about the depressing side of mental illness. Statistics focus on the high rates of suicide, homelessness, substance abuse, criminal behaviour, unemployment and divorce. Mental health professionals describe the burden of mental illness in terms of pain, suffering, disability and death. According to the statistics, people with…

It may sound crazy, but the best mental health service in many rural communities is the local football club. Hundreds of people in rural communities — gatekeepers, coaches, canteen workers, scorers, umpires, players and the kids walking the boundary with the raffle results — enjoy the benefits of rural football.…

Premier Steve Bracks honoured the promise he made during last years election campaign by appointing Lisa Neville as Victoria's first Minister for Mental Health. During the campaign the premier also pledged $129 million to create 168 additional beds for people with an acute mental illness. This followed the federal government's…

Despite healthcare professionals describing bipolar disorder as a debilitating illness, it is important for Darren Clark to know that many people with bipolar disorder can get well, and stay well. Healthcare professionals often associate bipolar disorder with substantial suffering. We hear a lot about the high rates of suicide, substance…

The chairman of BeyondBlue, Jeff Kennett, suggests that Mark Latham‘s public disclosures are a "manifestation" of bipolar disorder. Without any medical training, he publicly diagnoses Mark Latham as having "bipolar ingredients" although he does not specify the nature of these ingredients. Jeff Kennett implies that lock Latham is mixed up.…