What is mental health?
  • Mental is a state of wellbeing in which a person realises his or her own abilities, have the ability to cope with the normal stresses of life, is able to work productively and successfully and is able to make a contribution to his or her community.
What is a mental illness?
  • A mental illness is a health problem that significantly affects how a person feels, thinks, behaves and interacts with other people
  • Approximately, one in five Australians will experience a mental illness at some stage in their lives, and many experiencing more than one mental illness at one time.
What is Anxiety?
  • Anxiety is a medical condition with symptoms ranging from mild uneasiness to terrifying panic attacks. Anxiety effects over 14% of Australians aged 18-65 years in a given year.
  • Anxiety can be characterized by an overwhelming sense of apprehension that can significantly interfere with a person's ability to function on a daily basis. It is common to have a diagnosis of another condition such as depression as co-existing.
What is Depression?
  • Depression is a medical condition that significantly affects the way a person feels, resulting in a persistent low mood, loss of interest or pleasure, feelings of guilt or low self-worth, disturbed sleep or appetite, low energy, and poor concentration.
  • People who experience anxiety, engage in substance (alcohol and other drugs) are more likely to experience depression. Depression can also lead to suicide.
What is Bi-Polar Disorder?
  • Bi-Polar Disorder is formerly known as Manic Depression; during episodes of the illness, a person experiences severe mood swings. Bi-Polar Disorder is an illness that affects thoughts, feelings, perceptions and behavior; even how a person feels physically.
  • Men and women are equally affected with symptoms consisting of elevated mood, irritability, rapid thinking and speech, lack of inhibitions, grandiose delusions and lack of insight.
What is Schizophrenia?
  • Schizophrenia is a disorder where psychosis is most commonly featured; the illness affects the normal functioning of the brain where thoughts and perceptions become disordered. It interferes with a person's ability to think, act and feel with symptoms becoming apparent in young people during their late teens and early twenties.
  • Males are slightly more at risk than females and tend to develop symptoms earlier in life. The onset of the illness may be rapid with symptoms developing over weeks or can be slow to develop over months or years. Symptoms include disordered thinking, delusions (false beliefs), and hallucinations (auditory, hearing and visual).