Advance Statements are documents that have always been available to mental health patients. However, with the advent of the new Mental Health Act in Victoria in 2014, it is worth revisiting these documents and changes that may affect you.

An Advance Statement is a document, completed by a person with mental health issues, that lists information about them and their desires for treatment in the event that they become an involuntary patient under the Mental Health Act.

The document provides information about the persons General Practitioner, Mental Health Worker, Psychiatrist and or Psychologist and any other workers or medical people they may refer to for their disorder or illness.  The document also provides information about other people involved in the persons recovery such as carers and family members.  It also sets out the contact details of anyone and their relationship to the person who have to be contacted if they are placed on an Order under the Act.

The Black Dog Ride is a motorcycle ride running from all capitals in Australia to Alice Springs in August each year.  They also conduct one day rides in March each year. The purpose of the Black Dog Ride is to raise awareness of depression and suicide prevention.

Many of the riders have been touched in some way either personally or through their friends and family. The experience of being touched by any health issue tends to make one take more notice, particularly if something can be done about it. These rides provide great opportunities for riders to talk to each other. Furthermore, because the Ride to the Red Centre travels through so many towns, riders have a great opportunity to meet with ordinary members of the community along the way. It's amazing how many open up and speak of their personal experiences. Some have never felt comfortable in talking about them previously.

In the image gallery below are all the entries received in this years Healthy Minds Art Competition.

If you click on the image on the screen, it will open the gallery properly so you can see each individual art work at a larger size.

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The Mental Health Review Board is a statutory authority in Victoria established under the Mental Health Act.

On occasion, people within the community who are having problems with their mental health may be admitted to a psychiatric facility in a capacity known as an "involuntary patient". This happens when it is considered that the person is a potential danger to themselves, the community or both and they are not co-operative in helping themselves get well. People being treated as involuntary patients do not have the ability to make decisions about their treatment. Their treatment is decided upon by doctors and psychiatrists who are treating the person.

The Loddon Healthy Minds Network have extended the junior Art Competition normally run in the Shire schools and created an Open Section. Anyone over the age of 18 can enter the competition which is to encourage people to think about Mental Health from an artistic perspective. Quite often the visual can convey messages that the printed word cannot. After all, we do think in pictures and not in words.  The competition will adopt the theme of the Healthy Minds Network for the 2014 year which is "Five Ways To Well Being".

Its focus is to provide a mental health topic that will create art and conversations amongst our youth. The greater the awareness that people have about mental health issues, the more positive a society we develop mental health wellbeing is a core value. There is still considerable stigma surrounding the topic of mental health. Competitions such as this and the conversations they create do a great job of breaking down the taboos in society regarding mental health.

The Five Ways to Wellbeing is a set of evidence-based actions aimed at improving people’s wellbeing. They are simple things people can do in their everyday lives to promote their wellbeing and help prevent mental health problems.

CONNECT

With the people around you, with family, friends, workmates and neighbours. At home, work, school or in your local community. Think of connections as the cornerstones of your life and invest time in developing them. Building these connections will support and enrich you every day.

BE ACTIVE

Go for a walk or run. Step outside. Cycle. Play a game. Garden. Dance. Exercising makes you feel good. Most importantly, discover a physical activity you enjoy and that suits your levels of fitness and mobility.

Just about everyone is familiar with First Aid and terms like CPR. This is essential knowledge for many people in the workplace where they may be in a position to care for a colleague, client or customer. First aid, delivered properly, can save lives, which is why such a level of importance is placed on this knowledge.

That's all very well for physical health, but what about people's mental health? One in five people in Australia suffer from a mental illness every year. That is just a statistic of course, so let's put it in perspective. If you have a workplace that employs twenty people, then four of them are likely to suffer a mental health issue in any one year. This could be a very common mental health issue such as depression or anxiety. However people you come in contact with may have more chronic issues such as bipolar disorder or schizophrenia. Knowing how to deal with these issues from a mental health first aid perspective can be very helpful.

Loddon Healthy Minds Committee - Community Representatives

Council is currently seeking expressions of interest from residents of the Loddon Shire to represent the community on the Loddon Healthy Minds Network Committee.  The Committee currently has vacancies for four community representatives.

The Loddon Healthy Minds Network promotes and advocates for improved wellbeing and access to appropriate services for people in the Loddon Shire affected by Mental Health issues.

If you have an interest in improving mental health and wellbeing in the wider Loddon Shire community, we would be interested in hearing from you. (Click the Read More link below to find out more and download information pack.)

During 2013, the Loddon Healthy Minds Network once again ran their art competition in the schools throughout the Shire.  The theme of the competition was, "Mental Health - Let's Talk About It."

As usual, the entries were of an extremely high standard and the winning entries have been displayed across the Shire in various locations. This affords the public the opportunity to both see the remarkable talent that exists in Loddon and also to reflect on the messages contained in the art work. 

Mental Health First Aid is an invaluable skill to have amongst members of our community. The Loddon Healthy Minds Network have arranged for a course to be held in Mental Health First Aid on the 16th and 23rd of May from 9am to 5pm.

This intensive course will provide great skills in the mental health area. It doesn't matter if you are working in the health sector or not.  If you are involved with people, then the skills you will learn in this course will be invaluable.  Normally these courses can be a little cost prohibitive for community members. The Loddon Healthy Minds Committee has arranged for this course to be free so it is a great opportunity to attend. It is not often that Wedderburn plays host to such courses either. Normally you may well have to travel to Bendigo so it's another great reason to support this course in your community.