Inspiring Australians Making Change for Mental Health

Four incredible winners have been announced at UNSW Sydney for the 2022 Australian Mental Health Prize, which seeks to recognise the important and ground-breaking work many Australians do for mental health. Established in 2016, the Prize expanded to four categories: Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, Lived Experience; Professional; and Community Hero. 

The Prize is awarded annually to Australians who have made outstanding contributions to the promotion of mental health or the prevention or treatment of mental illness – in areas such as advocacy, research or service provision. This year the awards were presented by the Hon. Emma McBride MP, Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention

Category: Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander – to recognise and celebrate outstanding Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander mental health leadership at a national or community level.

Donna Stanley, a proud Gunggari Umby (woman), is a vastly experienced leader in Aboriginal mental health and well-being and a deeply compassionate, ethical and skilled clinician. Donna’s contributions to mental health recovery have been personal. Her brother died from suicide almost 30 years ago, and she has since dedicated her life to supporting others. She has been a tireless advocate for the mental health needs of her people, applying her knowledge of how Aboriginal communities’ social structures influence the mental health of individuals.

She is regularly called upon to interpret issues of grief, loss and trauma common among Aboriginal people arriving at the hospital in acute distress. Her work includes coordinating the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Mental Health First Aid Program and working with the NSW Mental Health Commission. In 2018-19 she provided valuable leadership throughout a performance audit into mental health services for Aboriginal people in NSW. Donna is currently the acting Executive Director of Aboriginal Health and Well-being for Western NSW Local Health District. She assisted in leading a team in Western NSW LHD with a culturally and clinically safe model of care for Aboriginal people and communities during the Delta outbreak in 2021.

Category: Lived experience – to recognise and celebrate outstanding mental health leadership by someone with lived experience of mental health, either personally or as a supporter, at a national level. 

Ian Thorpe AM has been a prominent advocate for mental health awareness, prevention, stigma reduction and help-seeking since publicly speaking about his lived experience in 2014. He has drawn on his own experience of anxiety and depression to connect with and reassure others that they are not alone and to encourage and inspire them to seek support.

As one of Australia’s most famous Olympians, his work has been especially impactful in reducing stigma and normalising conversations about mental health. Ian has also been instrumental in creating the mental health fundraising initiative Laps for Life, leading its publicity since 2019. Laps for Life is a national swimming challenge event designed to support the participants’ mental health and well-being while raising funds to prevent youth suicide. Since its inception, over 20,000 people across Australia have participated, and the event has raised over $5 million for youth mental health support services. 

Category: Professional – to recognise and celebrate outstanding mental health leadership in the clinical, academic or professional sectors at a national level. 

Alan Woodward has a long and distinguished career in suicide prevention and mental health, with a specific interest in evaluation and quality improvement, particularly in crisis services. He has contributed to service development, innovation, and policy advocacy for many years, most recently speaking at the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran suicide. He is well-known and respected in the sector for his contribution.

Much of the last 20 years have been spent working with Lifeline Australia, where he led many organisational reforms, including building a strong evaluation function to achieve better outcomes for individuals and communities. This included establishing and leading the Lifeline Research Foundation from 2011 to 2018. His career has spanned executive roles in the public sector and private consulting work, specialising in human services, community engagement, performance measurement, continuous improvement, and evaluation. Alan is currently a part-time National Mental Health Commissioner.

Category: Community hero – to recognise and celebrate outstanding mental health leadership at a State or community level. Gary Thorpe OAM. 

After becoming aware of the impact of social isolation, depression and dementia on the elderly, Gary Thorpe OAM created Silver Memories, a 24-hour-a-day nostalgia broadcast service based on the principles of Reminiscence Therapy. The service broadcasts age-appropriate music (presently 1930s to 1970s) and screens thousands of beautiful images to engage people in aged care, particularly those with dementia.

The service has been operating for 15 years as a not-for-profit service. It is now broadcast via satellite to almost 200 aged care homes across Queensland, New South Wales, ACT, Victoria and South Australia. Silver Memories does not receive operational funding from any level of government and is supported by subscriptions, donations and philanthropic funds. Through Silver Memories, Gary has raised awareness of the need to provide age-appropriate entertainment for people with dementia in aged care. 

Co-chair and past winner of the Prize, Professor Allan Fels AO, said this year’s winners reflect Australia’s current mental health priorities. “In particular, we have seen higher rates of mental illness during COVID, especially in youth, Indigenous and LGBTIQ+ communities; higher rates of suicidal attempts; greater isolation of older people, particularly in nursing homes; and pervasive mental health needs of our veterans, which are currently being examined by the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran suicide. I applaud this year’s winners for their deeply challenging work in these critical areas.”

Mental illnesses are common and highly disabling. In any one year, one in five adult Australians and one in seven children aged 4 to 17 will experience some form of mental illness. One in three Australians will have a mental illness in their lifetime. 

• Mental illness severely impacts a person’s capacity to work, earn a living and maintain close relationships. 
• A quarter of Australians aged 16-24 are experiencing a mental illness at any given time. Many people who live with mental illness first experience symptoms during adolescence.
• Suicide rates are unacceptably high, with more than 3000 Australians taking their own life each year. 
• Men are at the greatest risk of suicide but least likely to seek help. 
• In one year, around one million Australian adults have depression, and over two million have anxiety. Depression has the third highest burden of all diseases in Australia. 
• Indigenous Australians experience much higher rates of psychological distress than the general population and lower access to mental health services.
• LGBTIQA+ people experience very high rates of depression and psychological distress and are the most at-risk group in Australia for suicide.
• Women are more likely to experience depression and anxiety during pregnancy and the year following birth.

For more information, visit www.australianmentalhealthprize.org.au

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Article by Susan Byrne

Women undergo so many changes in themselves throughout life; we are cyclic creatures and so amazing!

These changes can be daunting and frightening at times. I’ve spoken with women who had no idea that at some stage in their teens, they would reach menarche or the onset of menstruation and were terrified when they discovered they were bleeding from “down there”. 

With menarche comes our first encounter with breast tenderness and swelling breast tissue—feelings of mood swings such as sadness, anger, tearfulness and tiredness. In addition, fluid retention from breasts to our bellies may occur and be quite disturbing when we are young. These new events in a young girl’s life can be overwhelming.

As we mature, the time may arise in some women’s lives when they long for motherhood. This is very normal, and our primal urges may kick in, making it difficult to ignore the desires.

Pregnancy can be the next big step in a woman’s life cycle. Our bodies go through immediate changes the minute an egg is fertilised. This is because so many hormonal changes rapidly take place, bringing with them (often) exceptional tiredness, nausea and even vomiting. These symptoms may be short-term, up to 12 weeks, or, for some poor mummas, last for the duration of the pregnancy.

The breasts enlarge, and the belly POPS! Towards the end of the pregnancy, you may suffer from urinary frequency, indigestion, and a new round of excessive tiredness as your body becomes weary under the weight of this little human you are growing. 

 As our children grow and we move from our reproduction years into the middle of our lives, many women come into their own with newfound strength and courage. We may have carried and birthed babies, fed and nurtured them throughout their young lives, or reached a new life stage with those we care for, and now it is time to allow ourselves some time to recognise and navigate this next phase in our womanhood.

This is a time leading into peri-menopause or pre-menopause. So our hormones are hopping, skipping and jumping all over the place! Our moods may change remarkably during this phase, and we may experience decreased sexual desire.

This is very normal. Our bodies may even begin (again) to change shape, and this is where we need to re-evaluate our nutritional intake and exercise routine.

Then menopause. This happens when we have not had a period for over 12 months. This chapter is a time once again to re-evaluate our emotional, spiritual and physical needs so we can cruise through this period easily. 

Hot flushes, changes in sleep patterns, and sometimes dryness of skin, eyes and vagina can all be a natural part of this phase in a woman’s life. This time in our lives should be embraced. There are so many negative thoughts out there around menopause that some women are terrified of the thought of it. IT IS NOT A DISEASE and should never be treated as one. It is simply a change. It is again a time to nurture oneself and get good advice from a professional Naturopath/Nutritionist on how best to manage your symptoms. A life of wellness and feeling good is waiting for you to be discovered. 

Please reach out if you want more insight or knowledge on how to feel good and scaffold your beautiful self through these chapters of your journey! 

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How did the process of Miss Universe help you to gain skills for what you do today?

In my year as Miss Universe, I had the opportunity to undertake charity work, and instead of doing just Instagram, Snaps, and you know, attending balls, I spend several with a group called Operation Smile doing overseas aid work in cleft lip and palate repairs in children in developing nations. As a result, I met a number of surgeons who became mentors and had an opportunity to develop my skillset with kids; this led to going into paediatric medicine. This also opened the way to doing other charity work within the healthcare field.

I guess that’s what I decided to get out of my year! I knew I didn’t want to be a TV presenter, and I didn’t want to be a model, and I didn’t want to be an influencer. But I was already in medical school, and I did want to be a doctor. 

Connor’s Run influence on your medical career?

I was already in medical school when I started working with Connor’s Run. I wanted to be a doctor well before then. I got involved with Connor’s Run and met one of my new mentors, Dr Jordan Hansford, a Paediatric Oncologist at RCH, and he was Connor’s Oncologist. Knowing that I wanted to get into paediatrics, part of doing that is doing research. So I pestered poor Jordan until he took me on. In the end, he said, yes, I’ve got a project, you can come in and work on this massive Excel spreadsheet ( I think it still gives me nightmares), and we’ll see how you go.

This grew into a great working relationship where I’ve been researching with Jordan as part of his team for years now. I fell in love specifically with paediatric Oncology and particularly Neuro-oncology or brain tumours. 

I have seen first-hand a lot of unsung heroes in groundbreaking medicine, people that dedicated a whole lot of life, years into this extraordinary work. Helping children live by the hour in some cases!

Well, that’s why I do it as well because I’m blown away by the work. Oncology; is this incredible space at the cutting edge of medical research, and every day, every week and every year, there’s something new coming out that gives hope. You’re also in a space where you can provide care and compassion to families in their greatest time of need and walk with someone on a journey that no one should ever have to walk on. So to be able to say that I’m here for you, to support you, and provide kindness, compassion, and dignity on this journey is humbling. 

With this workload and dedication, you use your social platform to encourage balance and healthy living. I am told you have a really interesting take on 15 minutes a day, can you tell us about it? 

At the moment I’m studying for a paediatric exam. This exam is my last big exam in my training period, and it’s the biggest scary one, the scariest one that I’ll ever sit. So my routine in the morning means I get up at 5:00 – 5:30 AM, I do an hour to an hour and a half of study, and then I try and do something active for just a little while. And then I go to work.

Some days I managed to get out for like a 15 or 20-minute run. And that’s great. Some days I’m exhausted, and I just think, you know what? Today I’m just going to congratulate myself for getting up and having done some extra study and doing this. Some days I have a day off, and I feel really good, and I’ll say, all right, I’ll go out and run 10K today because I just feel like it, and I enjoy it. And so, for me, it’s been actually really difficult to sort of have that compassion and hold the compassion for myself in not being amazing at everything.

I used to be a competitive swimmer. I was in state and national competitions. I’m very used to being quite athletic and fit, and this year, my physical fitness has taken a backseat to work and study-related things. That’s been hard to reconcile within myself. But I focused in September in the Connor’s Run Your Way Any Day is that something little for myself every day, even if it wasn’t what I would have previously expected to be amazing or something to toot my horn about on social media is still a pretty bloody good job, especially in a pandemic.

The positive affirmation is wonderful, and embracing the I WILL 

affirmation is powerful, like Connor did during his yoga therapy class. His was ‘I WILL be Awesome’ – yours can be anything.

What would be some of the ways that you’ve changed your self talk? Can you give an example?

I started journaling a lot; I try and sit down and write as much as I can. I reflect on something I did well that day, why I did it well and what skills this showed. So I might say, for instance, one day I did a great faster run than usual, but I did that well because I had looked after myself by eating well the day before and using positive self-talk on my run. Or it might be that I had a special interaction with a colleague at work or with a patient. Or I could actively listen to someone to take on board their feedback or their concerns or whatever it may be. I’ve found it’s been really helpful. It’s one thing to ask what am I grateful for or what am I good at? But to take that next step and ask, what is it about me that allows me to be good at this? And recognise that. This also brings these aspects to the front of your mind, and you can continue working on them as well.

It became like a self-fulfilling prophecy where I was mindful of how kind or dedicated or how well I communicated. Being mindful of that one day means that the next day I can employ these skills. I can build on them.

What’s something about being Miss Universe that our readers might not know about? 

Oh, that’s a hard one. I think there are so many things. I mean, firstly, it’s not as glamorous as what people may believe! The number of times I had to do a clothing change with the towel around me or in the car because I was trying to get from event to event. And of course, you can’t wear the same thing at two events. It’s a bit ridiculous. So now you see, she’s wearing the same track pants now for days in a row! 

What’s something our readers might not know about being a paediatrician? 

Bubbles are your best friend! Kid crying, bubbles. Suppose the child doesn’t want to be touched to examine -bubbles! Kids getting a drip put in? Bubbles. Just because you can- bubbles! I carried a bubble wand like a stethoscope! 

It’s changed with COVID, of course. So I’ve had to resort to stickers and like single-use things. But pre COVID when it was not a faux pas just to blow your secretions bubbles were the best thing ever.

Would you choose a tree house or a cubby house?

Treehouse.

Parting pondering?

This period is really difficult for all of us. And I think the one really important thing is that we have kindness and compassion for ourselves and others. And once you can start being kind and compassionate to yourself, you can start bringing that forward to others.

About Connors Run: 

Connor’s Run is the brainchild of the Robert Connor Dawes Foundation. 

This year Connor’s Run has raised over 2 million dollars for Children’s Brain Cancer. 

In September 2011, 17-year-old Robert Connor Dawes ran from his home in Sandringham to the boatsheds on the Yarra. He’d started his training for the upcoming rowing season early, as he wanted to make the Brighton Grammar 1st VIII. Not loving running, he did the 18.8 km because he was determined to be the best he could be. Little did he know that there was more than fierce determination in his head: there was also a tumour growing. Connor had unknowingly begun his battle.

Two months later, Connor was diagnosed with anaplastic ependymoma. Major surgery resulted in the loss of movement to his right side, impaired vision and severe short term memory loss. His body was broken, but his mind was not. He was determined to improve and spent hours each day on his physical and mental rehabilitation. The intense radiation and later chemotherapy followed. But throughout all this, Connor never stopped smiling. He stayed positive, philosophical and true to his mantra: “I will be awesome”.

For 16 months, Connor’s brilliant mind, strong body and gentle soul faced off against an ependymoma. Like many others, his brains and brawn gave it all to fight against the poor odds. But on April 20, 2013, Connor’s own battle ended. 

Inspired by his spirit of Aeternum Fortis, the RCD Foundation was created as a tribute to him and other brain tumour fighters.

Over the past eight years, Connor’s Run has evolved into Australia’s biggest event for paediatric brain cancer, with thousands of young runners now participating in the event. Many come back year after year, each time generating more funds raised and more attention for the #1 cancer killer in young Australians.

You can donate any time and get involved -see the below links for info: 

https://rcdfoundation.org

https://www.connorsrun.com/the-run

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