The real damage of suppressed emotions, especially for men
Many men can’t directly express their distress or anxiety, but repressing feelings can cause extreme anxiety and chronic stress — which can ultimately lead to physical diseases and symptoms.
Mental Health
‘Other mums give their kids sushi for lunch … I’m deciding whether to live another day’
Perth mum Nicole Watts shares her extraordinary and brave story of motherhood and mental illness. What’s it like for her to parent while living on the edge?
Two-year wait for autism diagnosis hurts children’s future
The earlier an autistic child is diagnosed, the better their long-term outcomes. So why are initial diagnoses taking longer and longer?
The ‘horrifying’ statistic from nation’s construction sites, and the people trying to change it
They’re vital to our nation building, but statistics show construction workers are at an elevated risk of mental harm. These people are trying to change that.
‘Benji says I am 80 per cent easier to live with since I started OCD therapy’
The footballer’s wife turned spiritual guru, Zoe Marshall reveals the crippling details of her disorder, how she can now kiss her kids on the lips, her ‘love’ for a controversial herbalist, and why the Marshalls sleep in different rooms.
Why do so many women (and boys) suddenly have ADHD?
In the age of identity politics we think labels clarify, but too often they freeze us. The truth? We are all in flux all the time.
Autistic children ‘left in limbo’, parents fear
State and federal governments are locked in talks over which disability services will be covered by the NDIS and which won’t. Meanwhile, disabled kids and their parents are caught in the middle.
What if doctors could know your anxiety risk through your genes?
Australian researchers are trying to understand what genes could increase a person’s risk of developing an anxiety disorder and how they might respond to treatment.
Hospitals ‘risk losing psych training accreditation’
NSW public hospitals risk losing their accreditation to train junior psychiatrists as the speciality’s medical college performs emergency inspection visits amid a huge shortage of senior staff specialists.
Mass cuts to mental health workforce planned amid staff exodus
NSW public health districts were pursuing a secret policy of swingeing cutbacks to the state’s public psychiatry workforce even as a recruitment crisis was crippling critically underfunded services.
Covid’s surreal shopping frenzy pushed Australia to the brink
In the pandemic’s early days, panicked shoppers cleaned out supermarket shelves – then Team Australia came to the rescue.
I loved lockdowns (no, I’m not deranged)
The idea that those who complied with the laws to protect our health during the pandemic lacked backbone is pretty insulting.
What’s behind the rise in autism diagnoses
Perverse incentives for education funding in the United States are a much stronger explanation than exposure to ‘toxins’.
Headspace turns to hospitals for potential reform
Mental health charities built into hospitals are willing to risk more for their patients and unify state and federal health resources, a leading hospital has appealed.
How to treat the next pandemic: apply trust
We will have no excuse not to be prepared for the next global health emergency. And yet, five years after it was declared a pandemic, there is no surety that we have learned the lessons of Covid-19.
Covid five years on: good, bad and very, very ugly
The Covid-19 pandemic officially started five years ago. Australians lived through the early months of 2020 watching a global health catastrophe unfold and having their own lives upended. Here’s a reminder in pictures of how the first 100 days played out in Australia.
Young have lost hope, suicide figures show
Nearly one in five young Australians have experienced suicidal distress in the past 12 months.
Faecal transplant cured Jane’s bipolar. Could dementia be next?
Medicos examining the link between our guts and our brains say if mental health illnesses can be treated and cured via ‘poo transplants’ then neurogenerative diseases could too.
Make mental health care free for under 25s: election push
Australia’s biggest mental health providers and advocates have launched a major pre-election campaign calling on the next government to tackle the explosion of youth mental illness over the last decade.
Antidepressants may speed up memory loss in dementia patients
Those newly diagnosed with dementia suffered a faster decline in their brain function if they were taking a common antidepressant, a Swedish study suggests.
Women hesitating on ambulance calls, study shows
When Debra Clare had a sudden heart attack, her first thought was not to call an ambulance; she is not alone in that.
After a double tragedy, this is how Sarah Wheeler found purpose in grief
Driven by sorrow but also determination, Sarah Wheeler embarked on a charity horseback ride 290 days ago. On Saturday, she returns home.
Free online mental health care a lifesaver
More Australians will soon have services tailored to support them through mental crisis, ranging from self-care tools to treatments for severe and chronic disease.
Gaming linked to problem gambling
Gaming and problem gambling have been linked in an international study that warns of the dangers of ‘loot box’ rewards in video games.
‘Stopgap more harm than good’
The NSW government’s stopgap strategy of relying on locums and visiting medical officers to care for the most severely mentally ill ‘will almost certainly do more harm than good’.
Why Dr Reddy is quitting the system just months from end of training
Dr Nithya Reddy wanted to change the mental health system after enduring unimaginable trauma. Now senior doctors are warning the accreditation of future psychiatrists, like Dr Reddy, is at critical risk in NSW.
Poll plea: break ‘deep silence’ on mental health
Mental health expert Patrick McGorry has warned of a ‘deep silence’ on mental health issues ahead of the election.
How disability was hijacked by the privileged
I have ADHD but I am not disabled, I am not a victim. We need to direct our conversation, attention and – most important – funding to the right causes.
Australian MP tells UK parliament VAD prevents suicide
NSW Independent MP Alex Greenwich told a UK parliament committee that voluntary assisted dying prevents suicide. How does this stack up against the data?
Tragic teen trapped in culture chasm
A young girl is raised in two different cultures, by different parents. Then she dies. Who decides what happens next?
Original URL: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/health/mental-health