Commissioner for Mental Health
Foreword Welcome to the Youth Edition of our Head2Head magazine.
in the implementation of actions and supporting communication and information exchange to improve outcomes in the mental health system.
As the first Commissioner for Mental Health in Western Australia and indeed throughout the country, I believe that improving mental health services for children and young people is a matter of high priority.
The members include representatives from various agencies and organisations, while the Director General WA Health and I are the executive sponsors for the implementation and will report directly to the Minister for Mental Health on progress.
Good mental health is a cornerstone to build and maintain a good life. Yet nearly half the population will experience mental health problems or mental illness at some point in their lives and around 20 per cent of us will experience this in any year. More people die from suicide each year than die on our roads and 75 per cent of all severe mental illness starts before the age of 24. These are striking statistics. All of us are touched directly or indirectly by the distress and tragedy that mental illness can bring but equally by the stories of recovery where people have turned their life around with the right support and specialist assistance. Recovery is a journey of healing and transformation enabling a person with a mental health problem to live a meaningful life in a community of their choice. To achieve this and to support people in different circumstances, different forms of collaboration are needed. Professor Bryant Stokes, AM, was appointed to undertake the review of public mental health services in WA which involved a comprehensive consultation with almost 900 individuals, the review of 29 written submissions and numerous mental health patient files and a data review of 255 individuals who suicided in 2009. The final report released last November highlighted the critical importance of the mental health and well being of all members of the West Australian community and the particular vulnerability of young people. The Mental Health Commission has established an Implementation Partnership Group to oversee coordination of implementation of Professor Stokes’ recommendations, with their inaugural meeting held in March 2013. The committee will meet on a quarterly basis and be responsible for monitoring and providing advice, facilitating cross-sector coordination
The Commission has also met with Professor Patrick McGorry and the Commonwealth Government to jointly build a new youth stream of care involving headspace youth mental health centres and also a comprehensive early intervention for psychosis program. We already have good building blocks underway in our State and this is an area of great priority and strategic importance. Significant progress has also been made in implementation of the mental health court diversion and support pilot program. The court-based mental health team will conduct assessments, report to the court, and develop intervention plans to divert people into treatment which addresses their mental illness and assists in their recovery. The pilot commenced in March this year. A new green Mental Health Bill, which will significantly improve human rights protection for people experiencing acute mental illness and facilitate greater involvement of families and carers in supporting people with mental illness, was tabled in Parliament last year. There have been over 100 submissions on this green Bill that are currently being reviewed – all wanting to achieve the best outcomes for people experiencing mental illness, their families and carers. I would like to take this opportunity to thank our Minister for Mental Health, the Honourable Helen Morton MLC for her leadership and support to progress these important reform initiatives. This edition features personal stories of recovery, friendships, relationships and services for young people, and I hope it will offer you ideas, contact details and tips on reaching out to others and looking after your own mental health.
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Eddie Bartnik, Commissioner for Mental Health