Mental health funding increase

MOUNT Gambier will receive around $8.7m of the Federal Government’s most recent announcement for financial support allocated to mental health residential care in regional South Australia. The announcement came during Federal Minister for Health Nicola Roxon’s trip to South Australia this week and is part of a state-wide health reform package valued at $2.9b over the next 10 years – of which $134m worth of projects has now been outlined. “The benefits for South Australia from today’s (Thursday) announcement are widespread – two new Mental health treatment centres will be built at Whyalla and Mount Gambier,” Ms Roxon said.

The centres are based on an obtainable model of care currently operating in Adelaide – one of which is Elpida House – and focuses on assisting patients to develop independent living skills, such as shopping, cooking and socialising while recuperating from an acute Mental illness. The centre, which is to be known as a Community Rehabilitation Centre (CRC), will be developed over the next four years and will house 10 beds for residential “psychosocial rehabilitation” assistance. The CRC will also provide a safe environment for mental health consumers who are adjusting to life in the community, with specialist staff to encourage them to live independently and manage their illness. State Minister for Mental Health John Hill said the CRC would make a enormous difference to people who are on the road to recovery from mental illness, but need a bit more help to learn to look after themselves and be a part of the community again.

Huge money injection for mental health

THE Federal Government will expend nearly $80 million on mental health as part of a $134 million health reform package for South Australia unveiled today. As discovered in The Advertiser, Federal Health Minister Nicola Roxon has announced 12 Commonwealth-funded health and hospital projects for South Australians.
They include:
*Nearly $20 million for supported housing services in metropolitan and country areas to support people with a mental illness after they leave acute care.
*Nearly $19 million for early interference care to ease pressure on families caring for someone with a mental illness.
*Two new country mental health treatment centres, in Whyalla and Mount Gambier, with 20 beds across the two sites, costing $17.3 million.
*$12 million for youth sub-acute inpatient services for people aged 16 to 24 experiencing early neurosis.
*A mental health forensic sub-acute step down unit with 10 beds and concentrated rehabilitation services costing $6.1 million.
*Mental health early interference home-based services providing around-the-clock assistance to people in a crisis in their own homes costing $6 million.
Ms Roxon also announced $54.7 million in subsidy for new equipment and facilities at hospitals including Repatriation General Hospital and Modbury Hospital. State Health Minister John Hill said the mental health investments would harmonize South Australia's ongoing mental health reforms.

Advocates rally for SC mental health subsidy

Advocates from across South Carolina are rallying for enhanced mental health treatment in the face of budget cuts. The National Alliance on Mental Illness is helping coordinate a rally on Wednesday at the Statehouse in Columbia. Organizers say they're trying to draw attention to funding for mental health treatment in South Carolina. NAMI says mental illness affects about one sector of South Carolinians during a year.

Gucci Mane Suffer From Mental Disorders

Gucci Mane has never presented himself as a well-read emcee with poetic depth. Although the majority of his rhymes are nonsensical and lack critical thinking, most of his fans would've never speculated that he is mentally incompetent. On Jan. 4, 2011, Gucci Mane avoided going to jail after he filed a plea claiming that he is "unable to go forward and/or intelligently participate in the probation revocation hearing." Gucci Mane was finally committed to a mental health treatment center where his condition is being evaluated.

Although it could be a last-minute ploy by Gucci Mane to avoid returning to jail, his willingness to admit that he suffers from mental issues should raise awareness about the troubles that many people in the hip-hop generation deal with alone. While young adults who grow up in more rich homes are likely to receive counseling or medication, there are thousands of youth who suffer from mental health issues that go untreated. Instead, these individuals are likely to deal with their issues by self-medicating with drugs or alcohol, becoming involved in crime, or falling into a deep despair. It's important to know the symptoms of mental health disorders so that the problems can be diagnosed and treated.

Kennedy to undertake mental health issues

Patrick J. Kennedy, leaving Congress after eight conditions representing Rhode Island, says he wants to launch "The Next Frontier" in mental health treatment. Kennedy, who chose not to run for re-election in 2010, admits to some doubt about what lies ahead for a man raised in the nation's most celebrated political family, The Providence (R.I.) Journal reported Sunday.

He says he will take a public role on his signature subject of mental health, influence a national effort on treatment and understanding in the same way his uncle, President John F. Kennedy, once called for a national goal of putting men on the moon as part of his "New Frontier." One main goal, he says, is the need to treat neurologically damaged war veterans, whether suffering from battle-related post-shocking stress or from the physical brain injuries affecting the survivors of roadside bombings.