The July-August issue of Chatters for 2013 is out from Crossroads Clubhouse.
Click here to open a PDF copy of Chatters July-August 2013
Category Archives: Social Change
August e-Bulletin from Te Pou
The August e-Bulletin is out from Te Pou.
Inside the August e-Bulletin
- Developing an outcomes culture
- Te Pou news
- Sector notices
- Job vacancies
- In the news
- Events
IIMHL Newsletter Issue 8 Online Now
Issue 8 of the newsletter for New Zealand leaders from the mental health, addiction and disability sectors has just come out. The newsletter aims to keep you up-to-date with the International Initiative for Mental Health Leadership (IIMHL), the International Initiative for Disability Leadership (IIDL) and other developments within New Zealand and internationally.
- 2014 Leadership Exchange
- Focus on discharge planning for the Werry Centre
- Government priority areas for Disability Support Services
- Leadership breakfasts in Auckland, Wellington and Hamilton
- How to join IIMHL and IIDL
The 1000 Hours Project
DRAFT FCB ARE DONATING 1000 HOURS TO HELP STOP CHILD ABUSE
The people working at DraftFCB feel very strongly about the disturbing levels of child abuse in New Zealand. But strong feelings alone don’t create change, so they’ve decided to do something. It’s a very big and complex problem, and they know that one advertising agency won’t achieve much on its own. But if they can give a boost to an existing, dedicated, long-term organisation, and help that organisation act as an inspiring example to others, then they believe Draft FCB can make a difference. That’s why they’re donating 1000 hours of their communications expertise to the organisation (or organisations) that can best show Draft FCB how they can use it to help protect New Zealand’s children.
Updates from the International Initiative for Mental Health Leadership
IIMHL Features – England
Whole-person care: from rhetoric to reality in achieving parity between mental and physical health
A new Report from England argues more should be done to ensure mental health treatments are on the same level as treatments for physical health and more promotion of good mental health and improved funding into research into mental illness are all also crucial for ensuring parity of esteem between the two aspects of healthcare.
The report, developed by the Royal College of Psychiatrists in conjunction with other mental health organisations, highlights the significant inequalities that still exist between physical and mental health care, including preventable premature deaths, lower treatment rates for mental health conditions and an underfunding of mental healthcare relative to the scale and impact of it. It also highlights the strong relationship between mental and physical health. Poor mental health is associated with a greater risk of physical health problems, and poor physical health is associated with a greater risk of mental health problems.
The report makes a series of key recommendations for Government, policy-makers and health professionals, as well as the new NHS structures which came into force on April 1 including the NHS England, Clinical Commissioning Groups and Public Health England.
Professor Sue Bailey, president of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, said: “Much has been done to improve mental health in the last 10 years but it still does not receive the same attention as physical health, and the consequences can be serious. People with severe mental illness have a reduced life expectancy of 15-20 years, yet the majority of reasons for this are avoidable. Achieving parity of esteem for mental health is everybody’s business and responsibility. We therefore urge the Government, policy-makers, service commissioners and providers, professionals and the public to always think in terms of the whole person – body and mind – and to apply a ‘parity test’ to all their activities and to their attitudes.
Improving Personalised Care and Support for People with Mental Health Problems
From the UK this new guide aims to increase the number of people with mental health problems experiencing the full benefits of personalised care and support. Currently, only 9% of people with mental health problems of working-age have a personal budget, compared to 29% of older people and 41% of adults with a learning disability. Paths to Personalisation, published by the National Development Team for Inclusion (NDTi), offers examples of what needs to be in place to make personalisation work in mental health. It provides examples drawn from latest practice and policy and up-to-date sources of advice for people. Coproduced with people who use mental health services and service professionals, the guide will help organisations meet government priorities to increase people’s choice and control over the care and support they experience.
Additional Features from Scotland
The British Journal of Psychiatry – Special issue focussing on campaign and attitudes
This special issue focuses on stigma and discrimination in England. It describes evaluations of the ‘Time to Change’ campaign conducted in England. It also looks at employment and role of the media.
There are seven articles followed by comments by leading mental health people.
Content Page April 2013, Volume 202, Issue s55 – all open access.
Adult Mental Health Benchmarking Toolkit: Year ending 31st March 2012
(2013). Scotland: National Health Services.
Annual publication of the Mental Health Benchmarking Toolkit comprising data up to 31st March 2010. The toolkit provides information on a range of indicators to compare key aspects of the Adult Mental Health Service in Scotland.
For general enquiries about this update or for other IIMHL information please contact Erin Geaney at erin@iimhl.com
Funding Cuts to Talking Therapies Hits the News
The NZ Herald has reported growing community concern over increasingly restricted funding for talking therapies across the country. Click the headline below to read the full story.
Alarm Over Depression Therapy Cuts – NZ Herald, 29 July 2013
Major insurance providers, Sovereign, have disclosed they will only fund medication and exercise as treatments for depression in future, given the cost associated with talking therapies and the number of people who need them.
In the article, Mike King of The Nutters Club and Key to Life Charitable Trust comments “I can say from experience that talk therapy absolutely works. But few people can afford it. We don’t need less talk therapy. We need to be working with the Government and insurance companies to find ways for more people to get affordable or free therapy.”
A representative from Sovereign insurance states that antidepressants are “proven to work” and uses an example of a person who is only mildly depressed following a period of unemployment as a time when talking therapy would be considered unnecessary and antidepressants considered sufficient. “This shows a misunderstanding of the research,” says Engage Aotearoa service director, Miriam Larsen-Barr, “antidepressants have been shown to be effective only at the severe end of the spectrum. People with mild to moderate symptoms can most definitely be helped with talking therapy and are much more likely to respond positively to that than antidepressant medication. People tend to have these experiences for a reason. Talking therapies help people address those reasons in ways that medication alone cannot, for all that it has its place and uses.”
One might argue that restricting treatment choices to medication or exercise alone limits service-users’ ability to make the best recovery choices for them or freely give their informed consent – choice is considered a fundamental part of consent and choice requires multiple options. This is reflected in the Health and Disability Commissioner’s Code of Consumer Rights. In the recent Partnership Report from Changing Minds, service-users specifically call for a greater range of choice when it comes to their recovery. The NZ Herald article has already inspired much debate.
Comments on Facebook posts sharing the article are calling for some kind of action to address the issue of funding for talking therapies. Funding for therapy has been an issue for quite some time. Improved access to talking therapies was one of the requests made in the Petition for Better Mental-Healthcare Choices that was delivered to parliament in June. The Health Select Committee will be meeting to discuss the petition in the next month or two, but have yet to release the date of their meeting. If you are passionate about this issue and want to add your voice to those calling for better access to the things that work, email your submission to the chairperson of the Health Select Committee Paul Hutchison at paul.hutchison@parliament.govt.nz or contact your local MP.
Announcements from Changing Minds: Diverse City, New Manager and Mental Blocks.
Changing Minds launched the first issue of Diverse City last week, a brand new quarterly print-magazine that aims to start conversations that promote diversity and acceptance.
Find out more about Diverse City and how to get a copy on the Changing Minds website.
Tina Helm has left Changing Minds for the shores of Australia and new manager Ainslie Gee is now settling in.
Changing Minds has opened submissions for a new project called Mental Blocks, which, like the old reTHiNK Grant, offers funds for creative community projects that change the way people think about mental-health problems.
You can apply for up to $2 000 to bring your project to fruition and they say they will consider anything.
Applications are due: Friday 30 August 2013, before 5pm.
A 1970s Teacher Gives Her Class a Lesson They Won’t Forget
If you have an interest in issues like self-worth, stigma, discrimination and equality, you might like this video of one teacher’s experiment with her 3rd Grade classroom for National Brotherhood Week in the 1970s (might be earlier – it’s hard to tell). This is one of those old experiments that would never get through a modern-day ethics committee, but that nonetheless teach us a lot about what it is to be a human being in the world.
Upworthy writes:
“1:30: This teacher begins a study that will be talked about for 40 years.
3:00: She re-creates segregation and racism in her classroom.
7:45: Mrs. Elliott flips the entire class on their heads.
10:00 Jane Elliot makes the most profound discovery about us all
11:43: The students learn something that the world is still struggling to.
3:00: She re-creates segregation and racism in her classroom.
7:45: Mrs. Elliott flips the entire class on their heads.
10:00 Jane Elliot makes the most profound discovery about us all
11:43: The students learn something that the world is still struggling to.
There are too many great moments to point out. Just watch.”
Mike King Korero Heads to Rotorua 2-3 July 2013
Mike King of The Nutters Club and Key to Life Charitable Trust is joined by Tai Tupou next week as they stop off in Rotorua on their way to Tokoroa as part of Key to Life and Engage Aotearoa’s Korero project.
In the Community Korero, comedian Mike King gets straight up about his battle with depression, addiction and his ongoing journey back to recovery, including the mistakes he made along the way. Hear about the things he learnt from the hard times and how all those mistakes were blessings in disguise. This is a not-to-be-missed chance for communities to come together and explore how to support our youth and each other to survive and thrive.
- Tues 2 July 2013 |Venue: Sunset Primary School, Rotorua | Time: 6 – 8 pm
In Cool to Korero, school students get to spend some quality time with Mike and Tai as they talk about how they survived growing up. Mike’s is the story of a kid who wanted to fit in. It is about wanting to be part of the cool group but being 4’11 with buck teeth and big ears and needing a miracle to make it happen. Then one day he discovered he had a gift to make people laugh and he went from being bullied, to being liked and then many years later becoming a bully himself. Mike shares tips on how to deal with bullies and also why bullies do what they do. The main point is that struggles and hardship are part of life but if we make it cool to korero, seek support and hold on to an attitude of hope, we can get through anything and go on to thrive.
- 2 July 2013
- Session 1 Venue: Rotorua Girls High, 11:30 am
- Session 2 Venue: Sunset Heights Primary School, Rotorua
- Session 3 Venue: Western Heights School, Rotorua
- 3 July 2013
- Session 1 Venue: Rotorua Boys High School
- Session 2 Venue: Rotorua Intermediate, 1:00 pm
Posters for Upcoming and Past Korero Events
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