Originally published October 25 2005
Seminar addresses Australia's mental health crisis
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Doctors from a variety of fields met to discuss major Australian health issues, including depression in women and child abuse.
Women's health problems, depression and child abuse represented a major health crisis in Australia, a seminar focusing on women and mental health over the weekend was told.
The Director of the Centre for Mental Health Research, Professor Helen Christensen, said at the seminar that many mental health problems were far more common in women than men.
"Post partum depression and mental illness in pregnancy are unique disorders which may affect the relationship between a mother and her child into the future.
Men are more likely to suffer from antisocial personality disorder, to experience alcohol abuse and to have premature death because of suicide.
"The causes of the higher rates of depression and mental illness are not known.
However, we do know that risk factors prevalent in women include poverty, violence, self harm, sexual abuse, family responsibilities and the role of the carer.
The seminar heard Dr Louise Newman, Director of the NSW Institute of Psychiatry, describe child abuse as one of Australia's major public health problems.
"The mental health risk is two to four times higher for people who have suffered child abuse, yet there are hardly any dedicated services available for people experiencing the long term impact of that abuse," Dr Newman said.
"There are, for example, few services available to adolescents who experience sexual abuse.
The likelihood of those adolescents committing suicide is 27 times higher than those who have not been abused, while the likelihood of depression and conduct disorder is nine times higher.
"Child abuse is also associated with problems including parenting difficulties, suicide and self harm, anxiety and eating disorders," she said.
Dr Newman said studies of children in detention centres, including Woomera and Baxter, indicated they would suffer long-term psychological effects.
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