Entries Tagged 'addictions' ↓

The recent 63rd United Nations Department of Public Information NGO Conference held in Melbourne focused on improving women and children’s health.

“Advancing global health is essential to the Millennium Development Goals, and you are essential to advancing global health,” said Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

The central concern of Mr. Ban’s opening remarks was the need to improve women’s and children’s health “the area where we are most behind”.  Simple measures could make a huge difference, he told the gathering, whose activism the United Nations not only valued, but depended upon.

On the agenda was a workshop hosted by Australia on the harms of alcohol misuse. Conducted by Rev. Tim Costello Director of the Alcohol Education and Rehabilitation Foundation (AER Foundation), the discussion and workshop concentrated on identifying community driven solutions to alcohol misuse.

The Alcohol Education & Rehabilitation Foundation (AER) is a unique, independent, not-for-profit organisation with a goal to change the way we drink.

AER Foundation Chairman Cheryl Bart said: “Alcohol misuse has been identified as a priority issue by the World Health Organisation, yet a policy response remains noticeably absent from our own political agenda.”

“We can no longer ignore the significant human and financial cost of alcohol-related harms, which impact upon the physical, mental and social wellbeing of drinkers and people around them. The $36 billion cost of alcohol-related harms demonstrates to government the urgent need for reform in this area” he added.

Research has found that young people and women are at greatest risk of harm from others misuse of alcohol. In Australia every year 24,000 women are victims of alcohol related domestic violence assaults and 20,000 children are victims of alcohol-related child abuse.

Professor Ian Webster of the AER Foundation said, “Much more needs to be done to support our young people, particularly young women, to prevent them from being negatively affected by our current problematic drinking culture.”

A report funded by the AER Foundation, conducted by the National Drug Research Institute (NDRI) at Curtin University, Perth revealed voluntary restrictions on the sale of alcohol in the town of Norseman WA, led to a 17.5% reduction in assaults, a 60.5% fall in alcohol related hospital admissions and a 10% decrease in per capita consumption of alcohol.

The report entitled, Don’t Wake Up Angry No More – The Evaluation of the Norseman Voluntary Liquor Agreement, measured the impact of voluntary alcohol restrictions put in place in the town of Norseman with a population of 857 individuals, 12% of whom are Aboriginal people.

The AER Foundation workshop shared internationally significant findings from its major new research report: The Range and Magnitude of Alcohol’s Harm to Others, Beyond the drinker: Alcohol’s hidden costs*.

“We need to change the way we drink. Australia is a very fortunate nation, yet we squander our good fortune by continuing to sideline the preventative health agenda. Enough is enough,” said Ms Bart.

Alcohol misuse is a significant contributor to a range of health and social issues, including violence, crime, child abuse and mortality, in both developed and developing countries.

The AER Foundation workshop will focus on the disproportionate effect of alcohol misuse on children, young adults, women and Indigenous people.

*The study was commissioned by the AER Foundation to assess harm caused by the heavy drinking of others. It draws on existing and newly developed data, including a national survey of more than 2,600 Australians aged 18 or older conducted in 2008.

Writer Helen Splarn. Editor Dr Ramesh Manocha
Source: AER Foundation. UN Department of Public Information NGO Conference.

Nearly 4 million people nationwide watched the Ben Cousins documentary Such is Life – The troubled times of Ben Cousins. The program detailed his public life as a footballer while leading the secret life of a drug addict. This duplicitous lifestyle finally came to an end when he was arrested in Perth in 2007.

Paul Dillon, author of Teenagers, Alcohol and Drugs and Generation Next speaker, asked the question “How can you really answer a question about the harms associated with drug use when incredibly successful men in peak physical condition admit to regular drug use?”

The documentary was graphic in both its discussion of drug use and footage of Ben under the influence of drugs. At one point Ben says “There would be a time and a place for speed, there would be a time and a place for ecstasy, cocaine was my drug of choice, no question, but Valium played a huge part in that and Xanax played a huge part in that.”

Paul Dillon addressed the problem of profiling public figures that are known drug users, “The major problem is the message that these admissions send to young people. Although many would imagine that stories of famous people using drugs and experiencing a range of problems would discourage teenagers from going down the same path, in many cases just the opposite happens.  Unfortunately the only message that some young people pick up is that these celebrities have ‘made it through to the other side’ and continue to lead very glamorous and successful lives.”

Later in the program Cousins says “I would train and f***ing train and obsess and play good footy and the thing that would get me through those tough moments, those tough days, … was I knew at the end … I was going to absolutely annihilate and launch into as much drugs as I could.”

Paul Dillon went onto to say “When you look at the messages that we give young people about drugs they are usually negative, warning about the risks associated with their use. Drugs destroy lives – people who use them lose their jobs, their families and are very unhealthy. This just doesn’t match what they see when the latest rock star tells all on a TV chart show, or a famous sportsman has been caught doing the ‘wrong thing’.”

He added “Even if they did have a bad time there for a while, they certainly don’t look like they’re suffering too much at the moment. These cases also cause young people to question the legal issues around drug use when they see celebrities who are caught with illicit sub stances getting off with a slap on the wrist.”

Although the documentary showed Ben Cousins’s drug use, it failed to address the underlying issues of why he became addicted, or explore  the internal changes and revelations he went through during the process of ‘becoming clean’.

The Sun Herald reported that “Cousins’ pain was palpable, but there was precious little sense of him realising he’d long before foregone the right to expect anything else by virtue of his own betrayals.”

Paul Dillon commented that “There are physical, psychological and, importantly, social effects that can arise as a result of using alcohol and other drugs. In some cases, the use of drugs may not result in any major physical effects that anyone can see, but the mental health repercussions may be immense. In other cases, the physical impacts of long-term drug use may be obvious.”

After the program aired the Sydney Morning Herald conducted an online survey, in which 16,054 people participated, 57% of the respondents felt he was “smug and full of excuses”.

Danny Weidler, a Channel Nine sports reporter said that his motivation for the tell all documentary could have been financial rather than conscience driven.  He is not earning the big bucks anymore and he is about to retire. “Channel Seven paid $800,000 up front for the program; other networks had knocked it back – the feeling was that it wasn’t sending the right message,” he wrote.

Paul Dillon advised parents and teachers to make “sure the information we give young people is balanced, accurate and credible is crucial. Acknowledging that not everyone is going to experience the same problems will enable us to explain why some people appear to get by unscathed. At the same time, no matter who you are, there are problems – some you may not be able to observe by watching the nightly news, but they are there.”

For more information on issues related to the use of drugs and alcohol go to Drug and Alcohol Research and Training Australia (DARTA).

Writer Helen Splarn. Editor Dr Ramesh Manocha.
Source: Paul Dillon – DARTA (Drug Alcohol Research and Training Australia). Sydney Morning Herald

70,000 Australians are reported victims of alcohol related assaults every year
24,000 women are victims of alcohol related domestic violence assaults
20,000 children are victims of alcohol-related child abuse

The Alcohol Education and Rehabilitation Foundation (AER Foundation) recently commissioned a new report The Range and Magnitude of Alcohol’s Harm to Others, which has just been published.

The AER is a unique, independent, not-for-profit organisation with a goal to change the way we drink.

The Range and Magnitude of Alcohol’s Harm to Others report was carried out by the AER Centre for Alcohol Policy Research in Melbourne. It offers an insight into how individual acts of alcohol misuse affect both families and communities.

Young Australians bear the brunt of the negative effects of drinking by others, with young women suffering the most when a person they were in a relationship with misused alcohol.

According to The Range and Magnitude of Alcohol’s Harm to Others report, young people aged 18-29 years were three times more likely to be affected by the drinking of someone they knew compared with older people and they were also twice as likely to be affected by strangers.

AER Foundation Director Professor Ian Webster said: “We often talk about young people as being part of the problem when it comes to alcohol-related harms. But we now know that they are one of the most vulnerable groups in our community when it comes to the impact of others’ drinking.”

He added “Much more needs to be done to support our young people, particularly young women, to prevent them from being negatively affected by our current problematic drinking culture.”

As part of the report, the Alcohol’s Harm to Others survey* also found that young people aged 18-29 years were more likely to experience harm from the drinking of strangers by:
• Being forced or pressured into sexual activity
• Being physically abused
• Encountering trouble or noise related to a licensed venue
• Having to avoid places where drinkers are known to hang out
• Being involved in a traffic accident
• Being verbally abused and threatened
• Getting into a serious argument
• Feeling unsafe in a public place and public transport
• Having their property or personal belongings damaged

Nearly 75% of both men and women aged 18-29 years who had been negatively affected in the last year by the drinking of a family member or friend said they also had to spend time looking after that person as a result of their drinking (cleaning up after them, driving them somewhere, caring for them or their children).

The survey found that 46% of young women who lived with a drinker would need to care for that person as a result of their drinking habits. They were also likely to experience verbal abuse from that person, which could also lead to cases of domestic violence.

The 2007 National Drug Strategy Household Survey found that younger men were more likely than women to experience verbal and physical abuse, while both younger and older women were more likely to be put in fear by someone affected by alcohol.

“We need to be asking what we can do to ensure that the whole community is protected from these harms. Now more than ever alcohol policy development is supported by a sound evidence base that shows which strategies are effective in reducing alcohol-related harms.” said Professor Webster.

He concluded “Significant policy reform is required in alcohol taxation, advertising and sponsorship restrictions, and limiting the availability of alcohol to protect young people.”

The report found the hidden cost of harms caused by someone else’s drinking brings the total economic impact of alcohol misuse in Australia to $36 billion annually, more than double previous estimates.

*Alcohol’s Harm to Others is a national survey completed in 2008 of more than 2,600 Australians aged 18 years or older conducted by Turning Point Alcohol and Drug Centre.

Writer Helen Splarn. Editor Dr Ramesh Manocha
Source: Alcohol Education & Rehabilitation Foundation

It is expected that by 2012 Australia will be the first country in the world to impose generic packaging on tobacco companies.

At the same time there is a push to force tobacco companies to be more up-font about the content of their products.

There are growing concerns among anti-tobacco campaigners that menthol is increasingly being used as a “mild anaesthetic” to line the throat of a smoker so they cannot feel the full impact of the harmful effects of the tobacco that is being in-hailed.

Menthol could make smoking more addictive and attractive to younger smokers as it has the effect of cooling the throat.

Similarly, according to Professor Simon Chapman of Sydney University, tobacco companies are adding chemicals such as ammonia to their products under the guise of “processing aids”. Ammonia speeds up the rate that nicotine infiltrates the brain which in turn could encourage addition.

Professor Chapman, who was the 2008 NSW Premier’s Cancer Researcher of the Year, said companies ”cover up the secret formula of their brands”. He has urged the federal government to insist that companies show all ingredients contained in their products.

”The real issue here is whether it is sensible to allow tobacco companies to add ingredients that will make tobacco products more palatable to young smokers when they’re first starting off,” he said.

Writer Helen Splarn. Editor Dr Ramesh Manocha

Source: Sydney Morning Herald

The new craze being pitched at teenagers is the i-Dose; an audio file that allegedly induces the same kind of experience as drugs. In fact the binaural MP3 audio files even take their names from drugs including; methamphetamine, cocaine, crack, LSD and Crystal Meth.

The files range in strength from the standard ‘heroin’ track to a hardcore track called the “Gates of Hades’ which promises listeners “Smoke and torment. Weeping and gnashing of teeth. Death. Destruction”.

For as little as $U2.75 teenagers can download the audio file and take a trip. This new digital drug culture that is growing in popularity has sinister undertones because it is introducing young people to the drug scene in what seems to be the safety, privacy and comfort of their own home.

Paul Dillon, founder of Drug and Alcohol Research and Training Australia and Generation Next speaker said “We are seeing drug culture seep more and more into the youth market, where people can make a quick buck. That is a very sad part of this that they are targeting the group most vulnerable – the young who see this as being a cool thing to do.”

The websites are full of jargon synonymous with drugs and loaded with images of pills and chunks of hash. However it is all presented in a way that makes the drug scene look very acceptable and even a normal part of adult life.

According to the “I-Doser” website, they are the “industry leaders in binaural brainwave audio doses (that) powerfully alter your mood” and the i-Dose is a “Safe, effective, and legal alternative to recreational and prescription drugs,” adding “ use of the I-Doser Application and included or purchased doses should be used for entertainment purposes only.”.

But as Paul Dillon points out this is very dangerous form of entertainment because “The earlier you find yourself in that (drug) culture the more problems you are likely to have in the future.”

Experts like Paul Dillon are not concerned so much with the content of the downloads as they are with the drug culture that they support.

The internet is now seeing a whole barrage of adolescents in headphones writhing around on the floor in what looks like agony as they experience an i-Dose.

Traditionally the droning binaural beats based on alpha and delta waves have been used to induce a relaxed state; but here it is being used to ‘mimic’ the effect of hardcore drugs.

Writer Helen Splarn. Editor Dr Ramesh Manocha
Source: Sydney Morning Herald (Technology), i-Doser

A survey recently conducted by Family Planning NSW and Myspace.com asked over 1,000 young people, aged between 12 and 24 years old, where they went to find out information about reproductive and sexual health including:

• body stuff (puberty)
• how to stop getting pregnant (contraception)
• sex stuff
• Relationships

The outcomes of the survey were released to co-inside with International Youth Day (August 12) with some interesting results.

The survey included over 100 questions and the answers showed that teenagers are more likely to turn to doctors, schools and parents for the technical side of sexual health (‘body stuff’, contraception, pregnancy & STI’s), BUT it is their friends and the internet they go to when it comes to the emotional aspects of a relationship (‘sex stuff’, sexual activities and relationship information).

 A male respondent aged 15 years wrote: 
“I don’t know maybe more to do with feelings and emotional attachments after sex as schools only talk about puberty and avoid sex and friend(s) only talk about how it felt physically.”

The Survey found that:
Friends – were the most commonly used source of information for young people with 43% of respondents calling on their mates for information. 
Sexual activities – 50% turned to their friends for information, while only 20% sought advice from schools and parents.
Contraception – 48% of adolescents went to doctors for information. 38% went to friends first.
The Internet – 30% of young people combined the internet with traditional sources for information about sex, and
Schools & Parents – 25% of the respondents turned to these sources for information.

Dr Deborah Bateson, Medical Director for Family Planning NSW said “the results show that young people seem to have an appropriate level of scepticism when it comes to using the internet for sexual health information.”

“We see this kind of information from young people as hugely valuable,” said Dr Bateson. “It certainly has an impact on the way we provide sexual health education and resources to young people, particularly when it comes to safe sex and healthy relationships.

The survey found that although young people are turning to the internet as a source of information, only 21% felt they trusted the information they found and only 16% of adolescents trusted what they saw or read in the media.

On the question of ‘body stuff’ (puberty and body changes) over 50% of respondents said that they talked to their friends, with 45% checking on the internet and about 33% seeking information from parents and schools.

However when it came to medical information about sexual health nearly 50% of young people said they went to a doctor, while 25% of the participants talked to their parents.

One female respondent, aged 13 wrote: 
“I know alot (sic.) from my mum. She tells me everything I want to know and often tells me them if she thinks I should know. We’re really close but sometimes I can’t bring myself to ask some things. I want to know more about pregnancy and because I’m a virgin- how to have sex. I often feel I’ll be really nervous when the time comes and also, the male mind, what emotions they go through.”

Writer Helen Splarn. Editor Dr Ramesh Manocha
Source: Family Planning NSW

The National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC) at the University of New South Wales has released its findings from a study that examined data from the 2007 National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing. This survey interviewed 9,000 Australians aged 16-85 years of age.  The report is ground breaking in that it provides the first ever lifetime estimates of alcohol problems in Australia.

It has found that 22% of Australians will experience problems of alcohol abuse and dependence during their lifetime but only 20% of these will seeks treatment; with young men being most at risk.

Two of the most worrying facts to come out of the report are:

• Young men are two and a half times as likely to have current alcohol use problems, with more than 11% of men aged 16 to 24 reporting symptoms consistent with an alcohol use disorder over the previous 12 months.
• 42% of Australians with alcohol problems have at least one co-existing mental illness, such as depression or an anxiety disorder.

Paul Dillon from Drug and Alcohol Research and Training Australia (DARTA), author of “Teenagers, Alcohol and Drugs” and Generation Next speaker said that for young people, especially young males “Getting drunk is often viewed as a ‘badge of honour’. The challenge is to get across the message that drinking for intoxication is not acceptable and is potentially life threatening.”

He added “Alcohol is the drug our kids are most likely to come into contact with during the teenage years and beyond, and without any doubt it is a drug they have problems with”.

Young men aged between 20 and 29 are almost twice as likely to drink at risky levels than those born 10 years earlier. “Alcohol problems are most common in young men, so we need better intervention and prevention strategies for young Australians” said Professor Teesson, lead author of the report.

“People need to know that alcohol abuse which is impacting on their personal, home and work life can be treated,” she added.

It is important to note that the study considers that alcohol abuse does not measure the quantity of alcohol consumed but rather relates to the impact of using alcohol including: failure to fulfil duties at home or work, using alcohol in dangerous situations such as driving, legal problems and fights with spouse over use of alcohol.

Professor Teesson said “People are much less likely to want to own up to having a problem with alcohol than they are about other physical or mental illnesses, yet their abuse of alcohol has serious consequences to them personally and around them including getting into fights, drink driving, taking time off work, child neglect, getting into trouble with the Police, and driving while drunk.”

The report showed that 42% of Australians with alcohol problems have at least one co-existing mental illness, such as depression or an anxiety disorder. Yet while close to 50% of all Australians suffering from depression are being treated; only 22% of people with alcohol related problems receive help.

Paul Haber, the director of the drug and alcohol service at Sydney’s Royal Prince Alfred Hospital and a co-author of the paper said that the high rate of alcohol problems uncovered was a surprise, while the low levels of treatment were a disappointment.

The country’s “alcohol-consuming culture” was widely acknowledged as encouraging drinking problems, Professor Haber said.

Key findings from the report include:
22 % of Australians have alcohol disorders over their lifetime
18.3 % experience alcohol abuse and 3.9% are dependent
Only 22.4% of people with alcohol problems are treated
33% of men will have a problem at some point compared with 12% of women, and
Married people and people from a non-English speaking background are less likely to have a problem with alcohol.

Writer Helen Splarn. Editor Dr Ramesh Manocha.
Source: National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre

headspace is supporting this series of national seminars relating to the health and wellbeing of young people.

The next Mental Health and Wellbeing of Young People 2010 Seminar will be held in Sydney on Friday September 10, 2010

WHAT: Topics this year include major and current issues

• Cyber-bullying
• Drugs and Alcohol
• Body Image & Eating Disorders
• Teen Depression
• Resilience
• Sexualisation, Consumerism, the Media and Mental health

Feedback from our previous event:
• ”It was very insightful. I got such a lot out of hearing from the wonderful line up of speakers you organised for us. I congratulate you on putting such a powerful line-up and message together.”
• “Thank you again for organising such a great event- it was a wonderful success and hopefully the start of many more in the future!”
• “Congratulations and thank you on a well informed and planned conference. My colleague and I loved it. I know next year I would like to send my middle years staff.”
• “The day was a very valuable one and I know that there will be more teachers from our school attending the next one.”
• “The conference speakers were engaging and stimulating and to be honest I have thought of little else since…! It was extremely uplifting to listen to people who love what they do, who are passionate about young people, passionate about their area of expertise and who are generous enough to share their knowledge, insights and understanding to improve the lives of others. Congratulations to everyone involved, I for one have been moved into action and inspired to act!”
• “Thanks once again for such a wonderful conference. I got so much out of it. I plan to use much of the info I gained on the day on a whole school basis. It’s great to have practical info that can be adapted to a school setting.”
• “It was a terrific seminar and every speaker was dynamic and to the point, well worth having a second one. I will share the details with colleagues.”
• “It was wonderful to learn in such a funny and stimulating way. The power of humour…! I will tell all colleagues about what a great professional event it was and how they can possibly get to the next one.”
• “Thank you for your vision, passion and dedication for the wellbeing of young people.”
•  “It was a terrific seminar and every speaker was dynamic and to the point, well worth having a second one. I will share the details with colleagues.”
• “Again thank you for a wondrous seminar.”
• “I will promote the next conference for you, as last week was fantastic!”
• “Thanks for putting on a great conference.”
•  “Thank you so much for your part in organising the wonderful event…..It was inspiring to hear such a collection of speakers on the one program, all most informative and entertaining. I …. shall be passing on the information to others.”
•  “The event WAS wonderful and I am happy to see that you are hosting another so soon.”

 
95% of the delegates felt that the seminar was definitely worth attending

Australia’s leading experts in one event:
• Michael Carr-Gregg, Adolescent Psychologist and Beyondblue Ambassador
• Dr Sloane Madden, Expert in Body Image and Eating Disorders, The Children’s Hospital, Westmead
• Paul Dillon, Drug and Alcohol Research and Training
• Susan McLean, Cyber safety Expert
• Lyn Worsely, Psychologist, Developer of The Resilience Doughnut
• Evelyn Field, Psychologist, Author of Bully blocking, National Centre Against Bullying
• Dr Ramesh Manocha, GP, Mental Health Researcher, University of Sydney

For Education, Health and Welfare Professionals:

“The Mental Health and Wellbeing of Young People 2010″.
Date: Friday, September 10, 2010
Venue: Mathews Lecture Theatre, University of New South Wales, Randwick, Sydney
Time: 9am-5pm

To look at the full programme, download the brochure or register go to Generation Next

Or phone 1300 797 794

Editor Dr Ramesh Manocha

Despite the fact that there has been much research into the addictive and destructive nature of gambling, there has been a landmark victory for Melbourne pub the Pink Hill Hotel. They have been given the go ahead to build a children’s play area which will give children full view of the pokies and their parents in action.

Child-free pokies advocate Paul Bendat said “it’s a disgrace. It basically normalises gambling. Little kids say, ‘Look at all the grandmas and grandpas playing all the pokies in the room’.”

Anti-gambling groups are up in arms, warning that creating the playroom will only encourage and endorse problem gambling; allowing parents to utilise the children’s area as a child minding service while they play the pokies.

The Victorian Commission for Gambling Regulation (VCGR) has granted the Beaconsfield pub permission to build a children’s playroom to “be fully enclosed with soundproof glass so that children are visible to parents from the gaming room or bistro”. In effect this is putting a crèche in the middle of an adult’s entertainment area.

The VCGR has since withdrawn permission for the playroom to be fitted out with “soundproof glass so that the children are visible to parents” however they are still allowing the child minding facility to remain in the middle of the gaming area. They seem to have completely missed the point; that children will still be exposed to gambling and it will, in effect, provide childcare facilities while parents play the pokies.

VCGR executive commissioner Peter Cohen said “I am not concerned about children seeing poker machines because I don’t think that’s as harmful as … children being unsupervised.”

“I’m a realist. People will gamble. If they are going to gamble, I would rather they have their children supervised.”

The local community have also come together to fight the VCAT on this issue to get the planning permission overturned. A hearing into the matter will be held in November.

Writer Helen Splarn. Editor Dr Ramesh Manocha
Source: Sun Herald

In Australia, anxiety disorders are common. One in 25 teenagers (13-17 years old) experiences anxiety disorders in any given year.

Anxiety is not the same as depression, although the two conditions share many causes and some symptoms often occur together. There are six main types of anxiety disorders, including Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.

What is Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)?

Many people feel anxious sometimes and these anxious thoughts can often influence the things we do. For example, the thought “I think I left the iron on” can lead to us returning home to make sure that it’s turned off.

Usually, these thoughts happen only occasionally and can be helpful reminders. However, if these thoughts happen regularly, again and again, it can cause difficulties.

People who have OCD often feel like they have to carry out certain behaviours (e.g. cleaning things that are already clean) over and over in order to feel OK and reduce their anxious feelings.

These behaviours usually provide only temporary relief. But if people with OCD don’t carry out these behaviour patterns or rituals, they often think that bad things will happen to them.

While OCD is relatively rare in young people, it can be serious and requires treatment by a health professional.

What are the signs and symptoms of OCD?

People may have OCD if they have a lot of unwanted intrusive thoughts or strong urges to do certain things. Some examples of signs of OCD include:

• obsessive hand washing because the person is scared of germs

  counting things for no apparent reason, and

constantly checking that doors are locked etc.

Getting Help

A General Practitioner or counsellor can help. OCD is treatable and talking to someone about it is the first step towards getting better. Treatment will help a person with OCD to control the strong compulsive feelings that lead to the repetitive behaviour.

Your doctor may offer you some information to read or put you in touch with someone who specialises in the treatment of anxiety disorders or refer you to a psychologist covered by Medicare.

Where can I get more information?

youthbeyondblue  or  1300 22 4636
headspace  
Kids Help Line  or 1800 55 1800
ReachOut.com  
Anxiety Network Australia

Editor Dr Ramesh Manocha
Source: Youthbeyondblue