13 AUGUST 1999 .. a web newsletter for psych. consumers in Australia

"Thinking C.A.P." the Northern Area Consumer Advisory Panel, piloted an innovative series of Consumer Advocacy Training Workshops, in March and April this year, at the Northern hospital in Epping, Victoria. This was a consumer-generated and run project. More than 15 mental health service consumers, with varying levels of consumer action experience, participated in the series of three training workshops under the auspices of the Northern Area Mental Health Services and the State Government funded Northern Area Consumer Consultants Project.

Thinking C.A.P has been successful in the ANZ National MH Awards at the upcoming THEMHS Confererence in Melbourne (see later item). It took out the bronze medallion for a consumer participation project.

From Allan Pinches : "It is delightful for a consumer-run project such as ours to get this important award, especially as it was all done through love, sweat and tears for Ria and myself...on a shoestring budget of less than $2000. Consumer action doesn't need to cost megabucks. There's important lessons in there for service providers."

More info. at : www.alphalink.com.au/~alpin/consumer_training.htm ...

This newsletter has now been published for two years - we wish ourselves a very happy birthday! The very first edition was compiled in Sydney just after the THEMHS conference in 1997.

This item is published anonymously with the usual disclaimer.

<< Of the 5,342 people who appeared before the Mental Health Review Board in Victoria, Australia, in the year to 30 June 1999, 91.9% were denied legal representation. Some of this 'shortfall' was directly due to State Government funding cuts to Legal Aid Victoria.

How can it be that people declared too incompetent to decide their own affairs were nonetheless declared competent enough to decide that they did not need legal representation?

The MHRB is not a board of review as such, rather, it is a rubber stamp for the mental health industry. It fails to consider, accurately or judiciously, the complex circumstances of each particular case, adopting instead a generic 'must be mad' approach. The MHRB is a human rights abuser. Its practice breaches Australia's international human rights treaty obligations. >>
E-MAIL hrmh22@hotmail.com

<< My name is Kelly and I am studying nursing at RMIT; as an assessment I need to present a talk on a mental health disability. I have chosen Multiple personality disorder .. could (anyone) send me some information on what it is and how the population see these people in our community. thank you >> E-MAIL angel126_1998@yahoo.com

Disability Support Pensioners Australia will host a NATIONAL CØNSUMERS' CONFERENCE in Melbourne, in September.

<< Their aim is to discuss
1. issues of the Social Security system and the medical methods of a person accessing the DSP pension and also maintaining it. The new independent Medical Commonwealth Practicioners forms will have to be filled in to go to the Commonwealth Government for acceptance to be on this pension.
2. Medical costs
3. Slave labour - sweat shops, is working for the multinationals for bread-crumbs the way to go for those on the DSP pension?
4. Accommodation, is it 2nd rate and unenvironmental ?
5. Charity's and the costs of clothes plus how much do you get with food vouchers upon request.
6. Going for that (job) interview? Have to get a loan of an outfit from a charity to do this then return it after your interview.
7. The stress & pressure of job interviews to keep up the pace.

All the above issues will be talked on and a Report to follow up last year's Report will be sent to the Minister before she signs over her thoughts to her Department.

Conf. registrations close 15th August. Cost will be $5.00 per person including food. The venue is 247 Flinders Lane, Melbourne on 4th September, 9am - 5pm or extended if necessary. For registration papers please write to the following address. Also if you would like to give a talk please send a copy of your speech to DSP Australia Inc., P.O. Box 2092, WERRIBEE, VIC. AUSTRALIA. >> ...
E-MAIL judiann@vicnet.net.au

St. John of God Hospital in Brighton, Melbourne is closing. Shocked patients and staff of the private psych. hospital have been given four weeks notice; apparently neither had any input to this decision. The hospital Board explained closure as "a matter of economics"; they have promised that the present 25 in-patients would not be abandoned. Liz, a recreational therapist at St. John's believes that "for them, it is a life line." 100 day patients will also be attempting to replace the various psych. services that St John's offered them.

The Board has said that the St. John of God Healthcare network is committed to providing MH services, while resources would be redirected toward community-based care.

THEMHS is an annual conference for cønsumers, mental health providers, carers and more, conducted in Australia or NZ. Whose Dreams? Whose Realities? is the theme of the 1999 conference at the Melbourne Convention Centre , Wed. 22nd. - Fri. 24th. September [ near the corner of Flinders and Spencer Streets ] .

The national consumer Network will hold its AGM on the 23rd. at 5:30 pm. at the Convention Centre. On the agenda : revisions to the original Network Constitution and the confirmation of the election of state delegates and office-bearers. The accounts of the Network have allegedly been in strife this year .. this will probably be reviewed also.

The usual cønsumer day/forum will run on Tuesday 21st., open to consumers only from 10 am. for $10, followed by a social event from 5:30. Locations of these are still not available, sorry. Bookings are needed for these cønsumer events - see THEMHS' registration form. A carers forum will also be conducted that afternoon.

Registration fees for the main conference: concession fee for attending all 3 days is $150. A day concession is offered at $50. Some cønsumer subsidies may still be available from THEMHS. To contact the THEMHS Secretariat in NSW, ph: (02) 9926 6057 or check THEMHS' Web page at www.themhs.org. E-MAIL enquiries@themhs.org