November 4, 2009 – 2:16 pm
As the previous Croakey post points out, the news about Indigenous smoking rates may be more encouraging than we’ve previously understood.
Dr Mark Ragg, a health and communications expert, believes the history of smoking among people with mental illness holds some lessons for those working to tackle Indigenous smoking, and also gives cause for optimisim.
He writes:
“David [...]
November 2, 2009 – 7:10 pm
In recent weeks, Croakey has run several articles examining the potential pros and cons of the Medicare Select concept floated by the National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission in its final report.
Now a senior mental health advocate, Sebastian Rosenberg, is weighing into the debate, asking what such a model might mean for those with mental [...]
Bernard Keane’s recent Crikey piece questioning the current political and policy focus on prevention has provoked some interesting discussions on a University of Sydney email list.
Dr Brian O’Toole, an epidemiologist specialising in mental health issues and the director of the Vietnam Veterans Study, has entered into the fray, arguing that the public health community doesn’t [...]
After wading through the waffle of the latest National Mental Health Policy, Australian Doctor’s political editor Paul Smith is less than impressed.
Below is an edited version of his column first published in Australian Doctor. He raises some pointed questions for Rudd and Roxon:
AROUND the office of Australian Doctor you often hear the phrase “dull [...]
Sydney psychiatrist Professor Alan Rosen has previously shared his concerns about the 4th National Mental Health Plan with Croakey readers here and here.
Now he has written a report for Croakey on a forum held in Melbourne last month to provide the Feds with some feedback from the outside world. He writes:
“Can the better bits [...]
Dr Lesley Russell, of the Menzies Centre for Health Policy, writes:
The Department of Health and Ageing website lists 129 mental health publications, of which 28 are described as ‘historical’ and 4 have been rescinded. Of these 129 publications, 11 have been published during the tenure of the Rudd Government, 89 were published between 2007 and [...]
As previously mentioned, Croakey has a copy of the evaluation of the 2003-2008 National Mental Health Plan, that was undertaken by US consultant Charles Curie and English psychiatrist Professor Graham Thornicroft.
Sydney psychiatrist Professor Alan Rosen has now evaluated the evaluation, and here are his conclusions:
“This summative evaluation report is very gentle, restrained and fairly [...]
Following on from the previous post, Sydney psychiatrist Professor Alan Rosen* explains his concerns:
“The 4th Australian Mental Health Policy is a huge disappointment and
should never have been approved in this form. It is superficial,
complacent & self-congratulatory about weak partial achievements.
It glosses over many important deficiencies in the 2nd and 3rd policies and
plans. It lacks vision, [...]
March 31, 2009 – 12:18 pm
Lesley Russell and Robert Wells, of the Menzies Centre for Health Policy, University of Sydney/Australian National University, write:
“The communiqué from the most recent meeting of the Australian Health Ministers Conference on March 5 announced the launch of Australia’s new National Mental Health Policy 2008, describing it as representing ‘a renewed commitment by all governments to [...]
January 29, 2009 – 9:45 am
John Mendoza, Adjunct Professor of Health Science, University of the Sunshine Coast, wants more support for web-based mental health programs:
“Gavin Andrews (see previous posts) is absolutely right in his assertion that the web offers great potential for the effective treatment of some mental health problems in our community.
Australian researchers like Andrews and others including Helen [...]
