Presentation about men's mental health from the Men's Shed. Arrived in my email this afternoon. Good connections to the dimensions of wellness.

The Mental Health System Is New

• Ancient Greeks saw mental illness as a medical problem
• Middle ages in Europe and mental illness was seeing people who were demonised or affected by witchcraft
• Age Of Enlightenment – From 1800s mental illness seen as a medical condition again
• Medical care was rudimentary. People were often institutionalized away from society
• Antidepressent and antipsychotic medication development in 1960s
• Human rights acknowledged and conditions in institutions improve
• 1993 was Australia’s first national mental health plan – Only 31 years ago 

3 in 4 suicides are men

1 in 2 men will have a mental health disorder in their lifetime

Men not in the workforce have 4x the risk of depression

Separated men have 6x the risk of depression

Men who lack close friends have 2x the risk of suicidal thoughts

Maintain a healthy body can strengthen men’s mental health

Creating a health lifestyle builds men’s mental health

Developing a healthy mindset keeps men mentally strong

Mental Health

• Mental and physical health are equally important components of overall health.  
• Depression can increase the risk for many types of physical health problems, particularly long-lasting conditions like diabetes, heart disease, and stroke.
• Similarly, the presence of chronic conditions can increase the risk for mental illness.

Language Around Mental Health 

• When I hear the phrase mental illness or mental health or mental wellbeing, I probably have a different interpretation of what those words mean than maybe you do
• Look to our everyday conversation. We use phrases relating to mental illness, sometimes disparagingly,
• in everyday life:

You’re psycho

He’s crazy

Insanely good looking 

Mental Illness Often Not A Choice 

Where Does Mental Illness Come From? 

• Genetic factors — having a close family member with a mental illness can increase the chance that you might get a mental illness. 
• Drug and alcohol abuse — illicit drug use can trigger a manic episode (bipolar disorder) or an episode of psychosis. Drugs such as marijuana, amphetamines etc can cause paranoia.
• Other biological factors — some medical conditions or hormonal changes can cause mental health problems.

Treat The Person 

• De-stigmatise mental illness
• Check-in with those around you
• With the right levels of support around a person, most people can function optimally
• Within our pharmacy community, I see people with all forms of mental health conditions

Finding Support 

• Are there causal factors - the biological, the psychological and the social
• The psychological - building resilience, building skills, medical help
• The Social aspect - stable housing, financial counciling, finding meaning in life and recreation or occupation can be really important.