Page 4373 - Week 12 - Tuesday, 13 October 2009
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were held. One that I had the privilege of attending was the reading of two children’s books which were aimed at creating a better understanding for children of how a parent with a mental illness can be a normal part of life for many children. The event was run at the Woden Library by the Mental Health Foundation. The books were actually read by the authors, and both of the authors had been touched by the mental illness of a parent.
It was a very moving event and it brought home to everybody who attended that the impact of mental illness is not just on the individual who is suffering from it but on family members, friends and the broader community. I read one of the books, Bipolar Bears, to my young son that night and he seemed to greatly appreciate it. That was just one event and one example of the great work that is being done in the ACT by so many community groups and indeed by many health workers within the ACT government sector.
We are lucky in Canberra to have so many great organisations working tirelessly to support people with a mental illness. I would like to mention the work being done by a few—this list is by no means exhaustive—such as the Mental Health Foundation, Lifeline, Beyond Blue, Mental Health Community Coalition, Mental Health Consumers Network, Mental Health Carers Network, Carers ACT, Children of Parents With a Mental Illness, Connections Volunteers, Volunteering ACT, the Australian Foundation for Mental Health Research and, as I said before, the workers who work within the ACT government sector.
I took the opportunity during Mental Health Week to focus on a particular issue that is of interest to me and that is the prevalence of mental illness in men. Men are often more reluctant to speak about their illnesses, particularly mental illnesses, than women and, although they often necessarily do not make up a high percentage, they do make up over three-quarters of all suicides. It is an issue that has been highlighted before but it is one that we need to keep highlighting.
The theme for this year’s Mental Health Week was particularly relevant for the ACT. We face a real problem in the provision of primary health care in the ACT. That is well known. But for those who are suffering from a mental illness often their first stop is their GP, and the shortage of GPs and the difficulty of accessing those services have a real impact in preventing the onset of mental illness or the early intervention that is so important to those suffering from such an illness.
Beyond this, we know that the ACT still does have a number of challenges to face in dealing with the increased demand on mental health services. We in the opposition are very supportive of any measures that enhance the community sector’s involvement in the delivery of mental health services. We know that approximately one in five people will suffer from a mental illness at some stage in their life and many of us here would have a family member, a close friend or a colleague who has suffered from a mental illness at some stage in their life.
We know that the ACT, according to statistics, has the highest rate of mental and behavioural problems in Australia and we know that providing care in the community, and with an emphasis on early intervention, will not only lead to better consumer outcomes but reduce the considerable financial and social burden caused by mental
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