Tackling early psychosis 'head on'

April 10, 2007

Hunter New England Health and the University of New England are combining forces to address one of the most serious health problems facing young people in the bush – mental illness.

They are bringing some of Australia's most experienced people in the early detection and treatment of psychosis to the University's campus in Armidale for a two-day forum titled Focus on Psychosis.

One of the organisers of the forum – Rhonda Wilson – said psychosis among young people in rural areas was "much more prevalent than we used to think", with improved methods of detection resulting in the diagnosis of about 80 new cases in the Hunter New England Health (HNEH) area over the past year.

Ms Wilson (pictured here), a Clinical Nurse Specialist who is the Early Psychosis Officer for HNEH, said the increasing use of methamphetamine ("ice") in the bush could be contributing to the overall problem. "The use of methamphetamine can lead to a particularly aggressive form of psychosis," she said. "Methamphetamine and psychosis" will be one of the topics under investigation during the forum, which will be on Thursday 31 May and Friday 1 June.

Focus on Psychosis will include five keynote sessions presented by experts in early psychosis, three workshop sessions designed to integrate theory into practice, and a final panel session for delegates' input. Ms Wilson said the forum would be of vital interest to GPs, nurses, social workers, psychologists, and all other health and community workers. For more information about it, contact her on (02) 6776 9827 or 0428 618 680 (or e-mail: RhondaL.Wilson@hnehealth.nsw.gov.au).

Dr Mary Cruickshank, a Senior Lecturer in UNE's School of Health, emphasised the significance of a major health-care provider (HNEH) collaborating with a major health-care educator (UNE) in addressing this serious health problem.

Ms Wilson said that the aim of the forum was to determine and then set in place the best possible techniques for the early detection of – and intervention in – psychotic illness. "People between the ages of about 18 and 24 who live in rural areas face particular conditions that can trigger, exacerbate and prolong mental illness," she explained. "These can include a lack of appropriate educational opportunities, and a social environment in which people are inclined to overlook (or 'cover up') a young person's antisocial behaviour in the belief that they are helping them. This can extend the period during which a psychotic illness goes undetected and can lead, in some cases, to increasingly serious psychotic episodes and chronic mental illness."

"With this forum we're tackling the problem head on," she continued. "It will help rural health workers to develop the skills they need in order to pick up the early signs of psychosis, and to know what to do about them."

THE PHOTOGRAPH of Rhonda Wilson displayed here expands to include UNE's Dr Mary Cruickshank.

Posted by Jim Scanlan at April 10, 2007 05:38 PM