Blog Category: Mental Health
Central Sleep Apnoea (CSA)
Central Sleep Apnoea (CSA) is a serious condition, commonly known to affect patients who suffer from heart failure. Heart Failure is the heart’s inability to pump blood and oxygen around the body is often cause by stiffened, damage heart chambers. Central Sleep Apnoea is listed in the DMS-5. According to SNORE Australia approximately 4% of the…
aifc Open Day in Melbourne – 19th Nov 2016
You’re invited to attend the aifc Open day in Melbourne on Friday on Saturday 19th November from 12:30 – 4pm Box Hill Town Hall, 1022 Whitehorse Rd, Box Hill Learn more about our accredited Christian counselling courses, discover your options, and talk to our tutors who will be on hand to answer all of your…
A Snapshot of Australia’s Mental Health & Wellbeing
Good mental health is fundamental to our overall life satisfaction and wellbeing. Over the last three years, the number of Australians experiencing a mental or behavioural condition has increased by over 1 million people – with over 4 million Australians (17.5%) now reporting this. Anxiety related problems and mood (affective) disorders are the most commonly…
Transforming Communities Through Kindness
Recently at an aifc conference we heard from various speakers. Josh Wilkins, founder and CEO of One Voice spoke to us about being kind to the homeless, stating that there’s a large number of youth on the streets who are there by no choice of their own. Video – Not My choice Video – Mobile Shower…
How Bullying Affected My Mental Health
Being bullied isn’t just something that kids get over with a snap of the fingers or a flick of the mental switch. Ultimately bullying is extreme rejection and the impact it has on young minds can linger for a lifetime. Charlie Kaplan explains how the effects of being bullied at school continued to affect her…
Betrayals That Ruin Relationships Without Infidelity.
According to the Gottman Institute there are ‘3 betrayals that ruin Relationships (that are not Infidelity)’ What is infidelity? Infidelity is considered the worst betrayal by a partner. Cheating sexually on a partner is infidelity. Whether the partner has an affair, or a one off sexual encounter it is a huge violation of trust. However there…
Dementia in Australian Indigenous Population Alarmingly High
Dementia within our indigenous population is high according to Alzheimer’s Australia, Dementia is a major health problem for our indigenous people.
Australian Kids Seek Counselling Help
According to the Huffington Post, statistics show that Australian youth are reaching out for Mental Health Help more frequently now than in the previous years. Kids Help Line Insights Report shows that since 1996 there’s been a 626 percent increase in calls from young Australians seeking help for problems such as self-harm and for their…
Signs That Indicate An Alcohol Addiction
The majority of people will have a social drink or relaxing drink at home and even a glass of wine with their meal. Going out for a few drinks hardly makes a person an addict. Addiction to alcohol is known as alcoholism. It is a wide spread disease affecting people regardless of gender, socioeconomic factors,…
Lost for Words – What To Say (& Not) To Someone Who’s Grieving
When Amanda picked up the phone, nothing could prepare her for what she was about to hear. Her best friend’s little girl had drowned in the family pool. There was a long pause. Grappling with her own shock and disbelief, Amanda realised there were no words. She couldn’t think of a single thing to say…
Social Media – A Blessing Or A Curse? #SMday
Most households living in the digital era will have access to mobile phones and various types of computer technology used to connect to others on the internet. While the internet has opened up positive and negative possibilities that can sometimes be viewed as a Pandora’s box by some critics, social media has effectively reduced global…
What is Disinhibited Social Engagement Disorder?
The main characteristic of Disinhibited Social Engagement Disorder is defined in the DSM-V (also known as DSM-5) as “a pattern of behaviour in which a child actively approaches and interacts with unfamiliar adults.” The child’s pattern of behaviour includes what is seen as culturally inappropriate and overly familiar behaviour that is either verbal or physical…
Family Therapy & Characteristics Of A Healthy Family
Family therapy is focused on individuals and families to help improve their relationships, their communication and to help them to resolve conflicts. Family therapy is usually provided by a counsellor or mental health professional. Family therapy can help people in close relationships to help each other find ways forward out of difficult situations. It can…
Facing Mother’s Day Without Mum
Mother’s Day is a difficult time for those who didn’t grow up with a mother and equally sad for those whose mother’s are no longer in their lives. Jude Crank Shares her story about what it was like coming home after her honeymoon to receive the sad news of her mother passing away. Twenty-one years…
What is Mental Health?
Mental health is about wellness. A person with good mental health is considered to be in a state of wellbeing. They feel good, function well and are positive. These people are emotionally mature and can cope with the normal stresses of life, they’re resilient, realise their potential, contribute to the community and work productively. What…
Cannabis / Marijuana Dependence and Withdrawal
Research has shown that people going through Cannabis withdrawal may experience physical and psychological symptoms after attempting to stop their prolonged marijuana use. Since the early 1960’s until recent times, cannabis was thought of as mild and non-addictive recreational drug in comparison with other ‘heavier’ drugs. In the DSM-5 the APA has officially recognised that…
Caffeine Withdrawal – Now in the DSM-5
In Australia cafes have sprung up just about everywhere, becoming places to catch up with family, friends and work colleagues over a cup of coffee. We consume it regularly, particularly in the mornings as an energiser for the work day ahead. Energy drinks, soft drinks, brewed tea and even chocolate can contain large quantities of…
Using Food And Exercise To Combat Depression
The most common mental health illness in Australia is depression with one in five people having experienced it. People with depression feel worthless, unmotivated, overwhelmed and sad. Medicine and Therapy are very beneficial to helping patients with depression. However, a good diet coupled with regular exercise plays a vital role in promoting good mental health.…
When To Get Help For Kids & Teens
Dr John Townsend believes kids who have suffered trauma in the very early stages of childhood are more likely to have their personality affected by it, particularly during their adolescence. He encourages parents to have these children see a mental health professional as early as possible. Get Help If There Has Been Early Trouble by…
Dr. Gary Smalley
World Renowned marriage and relationship expert and public speaker Gary Smalley who authored award winning and best-selling books on family relationships and marriage from a Christian perspective, has gone to meet our Heavenly Father on March 6 2016, aged 75. He was married 52 years to Norma and had three children, Kari, Greg and Michael.…
Emotional and Psychological Abuse
According to Lifeline Australia, there are many forms of abuse that fall under the category of Domestic and Family Violence. Emotional and Psychological abuse are non-physical forms of control used to isolate and manipulate a person that can be equally as traumatising as physical abuse. Family violence and abuse can happen to anyone irrespective of…
Could Air Pollution Be Affecting Our Mental Health?
We live in an industrial world that is constantly pumping out dangerous fumes and gases into the atmosphere. Natural events can also pollute our air with pollen, smoke from bushfires and the dust from windstorms. There are many other pollutants that can affect the quality of air we breathe impacting on our overall health, mental…
When to Seek Help For Anger Management
Losing control of anger on a regular basis may mean that there’s an underlying issue worth probing into. To diagnose an anger management problem, a mental health professional will look at patterns or trends in an individual’s behaviour, taking into account their physical and emotional symptoms as well. Anger is a completely normal and healthy emotion,…
Childhood Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD)
According to The Huffington Post, Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder has attracted its fair share of controversy since its addition to the DSM-5 in 2013. Kids who throw huge explosive tantrums can now be labelled, posing the question, ‘Have they really gone too far in calling this seemingly normal behaviour a disorder?’ To answer that question…
