13th International Mental Health Conference

Positive Change – Investing in Mental Health

Mental health awareness and well being strategies are urgent public concerns. Mental illness has the third highest burden of disease in Australia with approximately 45% of adults experiencing a mental illness at some stage of their lives, including alcohol or substance abuse disorders.

The 13th International Mental Health Conference will focus on the complex mental issues affecting the elderly including depression, dementia, delirium, paranoid disorders and anxiety. It will also explore the mental health issues of young Australians (aged 18 – 24 years) struggling with schizophrenia, depression, suicidal thoughts, bipolar, anxiety disorders and drug use and drug induced psychosis. With 7% of Australian children and adolescents (aged 0 – 17 years) experiencing mental health problems and only one in four receiving professional health care, a positive change is long overdue.

Mental health problems have become one of the leading causes for absenteeism from work and early retirement all over Australia. Maintaining good mental health at the workplace is therefore not only essential for the individual but also a challenge facing business and society as a whole. There is therefore considerable business and political interest in tackling poor mental health at work.

The conference will examine state, federal, international and COAG initiatives, early intervention strategies, validated treatments, suicide prevention and the effectiveness of mental health preventive measures.

Featuring Australia and New Zealand's finest clinical practitioners, academics, and mental health experts the conference will motivate and inspire professionals (and future professionals) by sharing information about
• on-going research and findings, policies and organisational models
• development of new knowledge and the implementation of programs and strategies
• effective use of scarce resources

The conference will focus on:
• State, Federal and International initiatives addressing mental health needs.
• Planning and initiatives of the COAG task force.
• Research validation of early intervention strategies and treatments for drug induced psychosis, trauma and depression.
• Research validated treatments designed to facilitate recovery, particularly in the areas of depression and trauma.
• Initiatives and best practice in suicide prevention
• Examine and critically review the effectiveness of preventive approaches used in the field of mental health
• Translational Research - from lab bench and population survey to the clinic and individual patient

Keynote addresses, submitted papers, workshops and case studies will examine how approaches and techniques can be incorporated into daily practise.

Invited/Confirmed Keynote Presenters

• The Hon Mark Butler MP - Minister for Mental Health and Ageing, Minister for Social Inclusion, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister on Mental Health Reform
• Ms Robyn Kruk AM - Chief Executive Officer of the National Mental Health Commission
• Professor Ian Hickie AM – Executive Director at University of Sydney's Brain and Mind Research Institute
• Professor Julio Licinio - Managing Director The John Curtin School of Medical Research, The Australian National University, Canberra
• Mr Robert Wells - Director of the Australian Primary Health Care Research Institute and Menzies Centre for Health Policy at ANU
• Mr John Mendoza – Director ConNetica Consulting
• Professor Daniel O'Connor – Head at Monash University's Aged Mental Health Research
• Mr Robert Troy - Principal Clinical Advisor (Mental Health) Mental Health Alcohol and Other Drugs Directorate

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