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beyondblue
The following articles have the tag beyondblue
Doctors to take part in mental health survey
HALF of Australia’s doctors and medical students – including every doctor in a regional area – will be surveyed in one of the biggest ever studies of medical professionals’ mental health.
Doctors, med students to take part in biggest ever mental health survey
HALF of Australia’s doctors and medical students – including every doctor in a regional area – will be surveyed in one of the biggest ever studies of medical professionals’ mental health.
Indigenous suicide rates ‘tragic, unacceptable’
SUICIDE rates among Indigenous Australians are tragic and unacceptable, the national depression and anxiety initiative beyondblue said today.
Wanted: AML seeks chief to tackle tough job ahead
AFTER electing its first board the new Medicare Locals body has begun the search for a CEO, calling for someone prepared to be “measured by the success of the MLs operating throughout Australia”.
More clarity needed on depression
GPs are not well served by the current one-size-fits-all general depression guideline developed for primary care, which fails to take account of the broad spectrum of presentations, a researcher says. Professor Jane Gunn, head of the department of general practice at the University of Melbourne, said her primary care research suggested more nuanced options were needed because some challenging patients were failing to respond to drug therapy and others were missing out on its benefits. Data from the longitudinal Diagnosis, Management and Outcomes of Depression in Primary Care (DIAMOND) study of around 800 patients in 30 Victorian ...
Alcohol large part of life for Aussie men
MORE than half of Australian males from as young as 14 years are drinking alcohol either daily or weekly, an Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) report says. In 2007, 58% of men surveyed were consuming alcohol either daily or weekly, with males aged 20–29 years most likely to be weekly drinkers and those over 60 most likely to drink alcohol daily, the report, The Health of Australia’s Males , found. Six per cent of the men surveyed drank alcohol at levels placing them at risk, and 4% at high risk, said the report, released ...
Pregnancy depression screening plan criticised
GUIDELINES recommending pregnant women be screened twice for depression using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) are continuing to attract criticism from experts. Controversy erupted over the issue last year with the release of draft beyondblue guidelines, but the advice remains in the final NHMRC-endorsed document. The clinical guidelines on depression and related disorders in the perinatal period suggest all women complete the EPDS at least once, “preferably twice”, both antenatally and postnatally. The advice is listed as a ‘good practice point’, indicating that evidence is lacking or limited and it is based on lower ...
Putting a price on wellbeing
Is economic strength the only way to measure a country’s success? The UK thinks not and will start to measure wellbeing within the population. Should Australia follow suit? Kathryn Eccles reports.
Many doctors battling depression on their own
IT appears that many doctors are heeding the words ‘physician heal thyself’ with Australian research suggesting while they have similar rates of depression and anxiety to the general population, doctors are considerably less likely to seek help, and more likely to commit suicide. Self-prescription of sedatives and benzodiazepines also remains relatively common, beyondblue research shows. The review of 86 doctors’ health studies is thought to be one of the largest in this area – although few of the papers were Australian. There was also almost no literature on how best to treat depression and anxiety in ...
Millions ‘misdirected’ on perinatal initiative
AUSTRALIA’S multimillion-dollar program to tackle perinatal depression has pushed the pendulum too far and now risks substantially “over-medicalising” motherhood, experts warn. There are fears widespread screening may be picking up many cases of mild, transient symptoms and the $85 million national strategy has been misdirected. Although national rates of perinatal depression are reported at anywhere between 10 and 20%, psychologist Dr Stephen Matthey (PhD), an adjunct associate professor at the University of Sydney, believes fewer than 10% of those affected have serious depression. He blamed the over-inflation on widespread misuse of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale ...
Expert opinion divided on youth depression guidelines
CONTROVERSY has flared over Australia’s approach to youth depression, with beyondblue’s new guidelines coming under fire from two of the country’s highest-profile psychiatrists. Writing in the MJA this week, Professors Ian Hickie and Patrick McGorry said the draft guidelines reinforced stereotypes about young people’s reluctance to seek help, and failed to emphasise the emerging importance of early intervention services. They also questioned the “artificial” division between adolescents and young people at 18 years, saying the focus should be on the “more inclusive” age range of 12 to 25. However, Associate Professor Brett McDermott, chair of the ...
Men may ‘aggravate’ postnatal depression: study
NEGATIVE attitudes towards postnatal depression are entrenched among men, and experts fear they are making it worse for struggling mothers. A beyondblue survey of 600 Australian men revealed half thought women brought postnatal depression on themselves by having unrealistic expectations of motherhood, and almost 30% thought it would just go away with time. Men and women also appeared to differ on their views towards motherhood: 25% of men thought it came naturally to women, whereas just 14% of women thought the same. The findings highlighted the need to educate partners about postnatal depression, since they could ...
Scheme for doctors’ mental health launched
A PROGRAM aimed at removing the stigma associated with doctors who seek mental health care is set to be rolled out nationally from early next year. The National Doctors’ Mental Health Program, an initiative from depression support organisation beyondblue, aims to normalise the topic of mental health among doctors, raise awareness and encourage doctors to seek early help. Meeting for the first time last month, an advisory committee, chaired by former AMA president Dr Mukesh Haikerwal, will initially undertake a systematic literature review to inform the development of specific tools and education programs. Program leader and ...