a Web newsletter for psych. cønsumers in Australia
9 June 1998
next edition 26 June - optimised for Netscape browsers

[ NATIONAL ] THEMHS is an annual conference for mental health services AND cønsumers in Aussie land & NZ. The AGM of the Aussie MH cønsumer network is conducted during this conference, and papers are given by Australian cønsumers. THEMHS 1998 will be held September 7 - 11 at Wrest Point Hotel (yes, near the Casino) in Hobart, Tasmania. Cønsumer issues to be covered : "the national cønsumer Network, escaping poverty, mainstreaming, self-esteem, employment, peer programs, rehabilitation, the Clubhouse model, migrant and indigenous (people).. "

If you can reach Melbourne and you want to visit THEMHS this year, VMIAC may be organising a transport/accomodation package for a group of cønsumers - phone (03)93878317 BH.

Or you can join another group from Melbourne, who are making arrangements now for the trip . Registration with THEMHS for the cønsumer day [Sunday Sept. 6] is $10. Any cønsumer can attend these sessions. THEMHS are also offering a conference concession registration at $150 if you want to go all the way.

[ SA ]What about an Australian cønsumer-run mental health conference? Yes, it's really happening. Our Lives Our Choices #2 will be on October 17-18, 1998 in Adelaide, South Australia.

The aim of this conference is to raise awareness of MH issues, and to provide a platform for interaction between cønsumers, carers, paraprofessionals and professionals.

The conference theme is "What Keeps Us Well". The conference is currently calling for speakers, particularly cønsumers, for more info. please visit the web site. The official conference email is mhrc@camtech.net.au or phone (08) 8373 2063. ( from Oscar )

We will summarise conference updates as they materialise.

[ VIC ] In Melbourne, the Alfred Hospital expects to reduce the stays of psych. patients from the present 20 days to less than 16, and to 8 days in the long term. A review of the hospital's MH services stated that the Alfred could save $750K and direct this money into community positions. Consultant psychiatrists there have recently been offered new contracts. In these contracts, contributions to reaching these targets will operate as performance indicators. Apparently then, psychiatrists will have a financial incentive to discharge people.

The Chief of Clinical Services has commented that " the implication that we're preoccupied by getting patients out is offensive .. to (all our) clinical staff .. it's entirely about ensuring that we have best practice .. to ensure patients are not kept in longer than they need to be and that ensures that we don't have waiting lists." from the Age

[ INTERNET ] The new Net Yak web site is an initiative of the NetNation internet project, aimed at creating an online central resource for members of Psychiatric Disability Support agencies. Installed by VicServ, the shell of the site is on Vicnet at the moment ... have a look and see what you think avoca.vicnet.net.au/~vicserv/netnation/netyak/yak.htm

Net Yak will house content created by members of the NetNation project .. however, input is wanted from ALL members of the Psychiatric Disability Support sector, including other states as well. Examples of the sort of thing they will need are:

* Art and Poetry....members art and poetry
* Stories....these can be life stories relating to the illness, treatments or fictional musings,
* Issues....any issue relating to the service and to the field.
Ideally, this would involve any concerns that a member may have. Info. should contain links to articles that concern the field
* What's On....you or a member of your agency will be able to place events local to your community including links to sites with information
* Events....local Austalian and International events that members may locate on the net, creating a location where users could go to as a central resource
* Chat....this page would be reserved for members to list their details and how they can be contacted via chat. e.g. email address, chat nickname and preferred chat times.
* Feedback....for members and visitors to relay suggestions of improvement, or to comment on the site's look etc.
* Your Say.... they hope to be able to include an interactive message board that members can use to leave messages to others i.e. a conference board
* Contact....this central page will have details of member and members agencies that would like their contact details published on-line

for details, contact Col Brokenshire at netnatn@vicserv.org.au

[ NSW ] the Northern Sydney Area Health Service Mental Health cønsumer Network was established in 1994. There are four local cønsumer Networks which make up the NSAHS Network, plus the psychiatric Gladesville Macquarie Hospital. The Network Steering Committee is made up of 3 cønsumers from each of the local Networks, plus Gladesville Macquarie Hospital.

This Network is a funded cønsumer network. Its goal is to fund, skill and empower cønsumers in the policy, planning and decision making processes at all levels of MH services. Cønsumers organise a range of cønsumer activities in their local areas ... for example, hold regular cønsumers' meetings, run a cønsumers' office, attend committee meetings, write and publish reports, have cønsumer advocacy programmes in supported acccommodation homes and inpatient units, develop special projects etc. Any person with direct experience of a mental illness is welcome to participate ...

The Network would really like to connect up with cønsumers and cønsumer groups ... they can be contacted by E-mail at butterfly@f1.net.au (from Desley)

Thank you for calling the mental health hot line.

If you are obsessive/compulsive, please press 1 repeatedly.
If you are codependent, ask someone to press 2 for you.
If you are a multiple personality, press 3, 4, 5, 6.
If you are paranoid and delusional, we already know what you
want and who you are. Just stay on the line while we trace your call.
If you are schizophrenic please hold, and a little voice will tell you what to press.
If you are depressed it probably doesn't matter what you press, it won't do you any good anyway... (thank-you to Margaret)

[ FUTURE EDITIONS ] will include a story about intriguing cønsumer initiatives in Caboolture, Queensland.

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