Suicide and mental illness explained
Suicide is the major cause of death among people with a mental illness. A suicide attempt may be an early warning sign that a person is developing a mental illness. There are steps you can take if you think a friend or relative is considering ... [... more]
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Dual diagnosis
Dual diagnosis means someone has both a co-occurring mental illness and a substance use problem. In many cases, it is hard to tell which problem came first. Dual diagnosis means someone has both a mental illness and a substance use problem. Many ... [... more]
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Mental illness prevalence
One in five Australians will experience mental illness. About three per cent of Australian adults will be severely affected by mental illness each year. With appropriate treatment and support, most people affected by mental illness will recover well. [... more]
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Mental illness - Better Health Channel.
Mental illness is a general term for a group of illnesses that may include psychotic or changed mood symptoms. One in five Australians will experience some form of mental illness at some stage in their lives. Mental illness can make it difficult ... [... more]
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Mental illness services - residential care
A wide range of comprehensive public mental health services are available for people of all ages. Many of these services are bed-based. Bed-based services offer treatment and support to people who are experiencing a serious mental illness. These ... [... more]
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Carers - specialist services
Families and carers play an important role in supporting relatives and friends with a mental illness. Caring for a person with a mental illness can be very demanding but help and support is available. There are a number of programs which support ... [... more]
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Body dysmorphic disorder
Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is a mental illness. People who have this illness constantly worry about the way they look. They may think something that isn't there, or that others don't notice, is a serious defect. Treatment includes cognitive ... [... more]
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Borderline personality disorder
Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is one of a group of psychiatric conditions known as 'personality disorders'. People with BPD have difficulty relating to other people. With treatment, the symptoms of BPD can be managed better, reduced or ... [... more]
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Mental health problems - early care helps
While most people experience unhappiness, distress or anxiety at some point in their lives, these feelings usually pass with time and support from friends or family. If you are finding these feelings difficult to overcome, or if emotional or ... [... more]
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Bipolar disorder - Better Health Channel.
A person with bipolar disorder experiences alternating episodes of mania and depression. The exact cause is unknown, but a genetic predisposition has been clearly established. Bipolar disorder used to be called 'manic depression'. Bipolar ... [... more]
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Mental illness treatments
When someone first starts to develop symptoms of mental illness, contact a doctor or a community mental health service for help. Treatment in the community, rather than in a hospital, is considered better for a person's mental health. Effective ... [... more]
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Mental illness - family and friends
Don't ignore warning signs of mental illness in a family member or friend. The sooner someone receives treatment, the better the outcome is likely to be. There is a lot you can do to help a person affected by mental illness. Although there are ... [... more]
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