4 December 1998 .. a web newsletter for psych consumers in australia

Happy Christmas and thank you to the OZMAD people and everyone who helped this year with this cønsumer newsletter. The next issue of this fine publication will be 12 February 1999.

What is OZMAD? An E-mail discussion list. It promotes communication amongst Aussie cønsumers/ survivors/ ex-patients [CSX], and between them and the national cønsumer Network rep's. List members are preparing a new web site at www.vicnet.net.au/~ozmad .. which will be ready by next year.

To join OZMAD, see the current Web page at www.Madnation.org/ozmad.htm

A summer forum/conference at the Swiss Grand Hotel, Bondi Beach, Sydney on 21-22 January has the theme " how do we decide who gets services? " Two contributors with a cønsumer orientation are Leonie Manns and Merinda Epstein; there will be nine professional speakers. The keynote speakers are American psychiatrists Ron Manderscheid and Ron Diamond; the latter is a Professor of Psychiatry at the Uni. of Wisconsin and has received the Exemplary Psychiatrist award from the NAMI (three times). One of the first workshops is entitled "current models, current muddles - where are we going?". Another deals with resources : "making money follow the person : create your own take home package."

Registration is $300 plus .. a limited no. of concessions are offered. One of the stated aims of THEMHS is "to provide a forum for professionals, cønsumers, carers and managers to meet and debate MH services". For more details contact the organising group THEMHS, phone [02]9926 6057. An Internet chat line will be running on 23 Jan. to allow people to talk to Ron Diamond (Java browsers or IRC) - see the THEMHS web site www.themhs.org

Another good link: Beyond Madness is a very large and diverse web ring based in the U.S. www.webring.org/cgi-bin/webring?ring=bmadness&list.

Consists of " .. sites that deal with various forms of mental illness/health .. includes sites on depression, bipolar, panic & eating disorders, anxiety, personality disorders, schizophrenia, ADD, post traumatic stress disorder, and Alzheimer's disease. Sites dealing with psychiatry, psychology, therapy, counseling, or any type of chat dealing with MH are also encouraged to join. " (in other words, everything)

The DHS (Mental Health Branch) has appointed a consultant company to

"evaluate consumer and carer participation in Victoria's public MH services. Recommendations will be developed about future directions for effective consumer participation in public MH services in Victoria. A crucial step in achieving this is consultation with consumers" by a variety of methods.

Feedback is needed on the purposes of consumer participation in public MH services, your experiences and how consumer participation can be improved for you and others ... confidentiality will be provided.

There will be a 1800 telephone service for the evaluation. If you wish to let the consultants know your views about consumer participation in public MH services ... telephone Catherine Fraser on FREECALL 1800 007 899. This number will operate Monday to Friday (9am - 5pm) from 7 December until 18 December. Consumer focus groups will also be held during this period (it may be too late to register).

People wishing to make a written submission can get a copy of the Discussion Paper from Mary Burgess (details shown below). Deadline for submissions: 15/1/99.
The consultants are Service Quality Australia, PO Box 456 Clifton Hill, 3068 ... ph (03) 9489 4641, FAX 9482 5807, or e-mail marybur@ozemail.com.au

<< In 1997–98, a further $28 million has been allocated to mental health capital developments. These include the devolution of services from Royal Park Hospital in Broadmeadows and the Royal Melbourne Hospital. These services jointly will provide 130 replacement beds for services currently at the Royal Park site. >>

An excerpt from the current DHS(Vic) news page. Next year, we will run a story about the controversial closure of Royal Park Hospital, including comments from a number of in-patients.

Take a look at telepsychiatry : the Uni. Of Queensland has developed a MH telemedicine program. This is based at the Royal Brisbane Hospital, also in Townsville.

"There was a need for doctors and case managers in the community setting to maintain closer contact with their patients who had to be hospitalised, and to save considerable amounts of travelling time wasted driving relatively short distances through the centre of a major capital city ... (this program) has been developed specifically for use within a teaching hospital-based integrated MH service." ..... from the Web page at www.psychiatry.uq.edu.au/tele.htm

In Australia, the number of prescriptions dispensed for anti-depressants has been rising steadily since 1990. 7.5 million scripts were filled by pharmacies last year. This is attributed to reduced stigma of depression, the emergence of new drugs for treatment, and greater awareness of these drugs. from the Herald-Sun

why did the chicken cross the road? part 3 (no more suggestions, please)

RALPH WALDO EMERSON The chicken did not cross the road .. it transcended it

ERNEST HEMINGWAY To die. In the rain.

MICHAEL SCHUMACHER it was an instinctive manoeuvre, the chicken obviously didn't see the road until he had already started to cross.

GERMAINE GREER until she had started to cross, you mean

ANDERSEN CONSULTING Deregulation of the chicken's side of the road was threatening its dominant market position. The chicken was faced with significant challenges to create and develop the competencies requred for this newly competitive market. Andersen Consulting, in a partnership relationship with its client, helped this chicken by rethinking its physical distribution strategy and implementation processes.

Using the PIM (Poultry Integration Model), Andersen helped the chicken use its skills, methodologies, knowledge, capital and experiences to align the chicken's people, processes and technology in support of its overall strategy within a Program Management framework.

Andersen convened a diverse cross-spectrum of road analysts and chickens, along with Andersen consultants with fully accredited ... value framework across the continuum of poultry-based cross-median processes. The meeting was held in a park-like setting, enabling and indeed creating an impactful .. etcetera

COLONEL SANDERS I missed one ?