5 Mental Health PD activities that you can do in less than 15 minutes

Time poor and haven't done your professional development for the month?  Try one of these online activities.


Watch Treating anxiety disorders: educational videos a 6 part educational series on treating anxiety - for training Master's level clinicians.  Produced by the Anxiety and Depression Association of America.  Takes about 15mins in total to view them all.


Drawing up a support chart A practice activity from ReachOut


Read one of the journal articles from the free-to-access International Journal of Mental Health Systems


Watch Vikram Patel's TED talk Mental health for all by involving all


Participate in a professional discussion on the PsychCentral forums




Have a quick PD activity to share with your colleagues? Comment below

National Reconciliation Week - TED talks

National Reconciliation Week has just finished.  We've had a great display up in the library, thanks to Justin and Jerome. 


As part of the celebrations for the week the following TED talks have been recommended by Reconciliation Australia: 




IndigenousX - Luke Pearson
Luke Pearson's journey from country NSW to teaching in Sydney, and then to the creation of @IndigenousX on Twitter, is part of a bigger journey to share Australia's diverse, courageous, and inspiring Aboriginal heritage
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvKlrvu7nws




OnexSameness - Dr. Anita Heiss
Anita is a contemporary Australian author. She is a Wiradjuri woman. She is an Indigenous Literacy Day Ambassador and an Adjunct Professor with Jumbunna Indigenous House of Learning, UTS amongst many other things.
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1f8ew23tLl0




Science, art and reconciliation - Steven Tingay
Steven Tingay is a Professor of Radio Astronomy at Curtin University and a Western Australian Premier's Research Fellow. He is the Director of the Murchison Widefield Array, a precursor SKA (Square Kilometre Array) telescope due to come into operation in early 2013. Steven also currently leads a large team of academics and students as Director of the Curtin Institute of Radio Astronomy and Deputy Director of the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research.
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFJumJM67sY




How to reduce poverty? Fix homes - Paul Pholeros
In 1985, architect Paul Pholeros was challenged by the director of an Aboriginal-controlled health service to "stop people getting sick" in a small indigenous community in south Australia. The key insights: think beyond medicine and fix the local environment. In this sparky, interactive talk, Pholeros describes projects undertaken by Healthabitat, the organization he now runs to help reduce poverty—through practical design fixes—in Australia and beyond. (Filmed at TEDxSydney.)
Source: https://www.ted.com/talks/paul_pholeros_how_to_reduce_poverty_fix_homes

A few moments for the anti-tobacco movement

Saturday was World No Tobacco Day, and on Friday the Prevention team and the library put together some displays and presentations on the topic.

One of the items we did was a timeline of the anti-tobacco movement.  I've recreated that timeline below.  It's not as pretty as the poster, which you can still see in the library, but it's still interesting AND has some relevant hyperlinks. 

Moments in the anti-tobacco movement

1604

King James I of England imposes heavy tax on tobacco.  Says that smoking is a , “cutome loathesome to the eye, hateful to the nose, harmful to the brain, dangerous to the lungs…”

 

1610

Sir Francis Bacon writes that tobacco use is increasing and that it is difficult to quit

 

1761

Physician John Hill conducts one of the first clinical studies linking snuff with cancers of the nose

1830s

Anti-tobacco movement starts in US as an adjunct to the Temperance movement

1856

A debate about the health effects of tobacco begins in the medical journal, The Lancet

1868

UK parliament passes bill to mandate smoke-free carriages on trains

1912

Dr I. Adler suggests strong connection between smoking and lung cancer

1930

Researchers in Germany make statistical correlation between smoking and lung cancer

1930s-40s

Nazi party engages in large scale public health campaign against smoking. Measures include—posters and advertisements of health dangers,  messages in workplaces, health education sessions, medical lectures on quitting, restriction on sales, and restrictions on the places people could smoke

1947

43% increase on tax on cigarettes in the UK results in 14% drop in use by British men

1951

First large-scale epidemiological study of the relationship between smoking and lung cancer.  Found 99.5% of 1,357 patients with lung cancer were smokers

1953

Dr E L Wynder publishes landmark report suggesting biological link between smoking and cancer.  Research involved painting cigarette tar on the backs of mice.

1962

Well publicised report by the Royal College of Physicians, “Smoking and Health”.  Recommendations include: the restriction of advertising, increased taxation, restrictions on smoking in public, and more information on tar and nicotine content

1970

Director-General of the World Health Organisation presents report on “The Limitation of Smoking”.  Call for an end to cigarette advertising and promotion

Closer to home...

1973

Direct radio and television advertising begins to be phased out in Australia. 

Health warnings on cigarette packs.

 

1990

Cigarette advertising banned in locally produced newspapers and magazines.

1995

Most forms of tobacco sponsorship phased out, except for international events

1996

Billboards, outdoor and illuminated advertising banned

2000

Laws passed removing sponsorship exemptions

2006

Tobacco industry sponsorship completely phased out.  New graphic anti-smoking ads  go to air and on cigarette packages

2007

Indoor smoking laws begin to be introduced

2008

States start banning smoking in cars with children

 

2009

Local councils move to make alfresco areas smoke-free

2010

Smoking inside pubs and clubs banned in every state.  Tobacco excise increased by 25%

2012

Australia first country to introduce plain packaging for all cigarettes