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What is stigma?
Stigma happens when a group in society are not regarded with the same respect as others. There are numerous definitions but, put simply, stigma is primarily a problem of behaviours resulting in the unfair and inequitable treatment of people. Stigma involves a variety of myths, prejudices, and negative stereotyping of people with mental health issues.
Nearly half (45%) of Australians will experience a mental illness at some stage of their life. Despite this, people living with mental illness will often experience stigma and discrimination from friends, family, employers and the community as a whole. (Copied from the Murray Partners In Recovery Site)
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Stigma is so common in our communities surrounding mental illness. Generally though this is because of a lack of understanding of what mental illness is all about.
One of the first things we should remember is that the person is not the illness. John is not schizophrenic, John has schizophrenia. Mary is not bipolar, Mary has bipolar. Mental illness is no different to physical illness. It can be just as debilitating and cause just as much pain and problems in a person's life.
Watch this video about Jack.
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The Loddon Healthy Minds Committee are delighted to announce the winners of the 2016 Art Show. There were 32 entries from the four secondary schools in the Shire. It has been a great way of spreading the message about mental health throughout the Shire. The winners for 2016 are:
- Best In Show – Rochelle Vella
- Runners Up Best In Show – Scott Woodward
- Boort District School First Prize – Zoe Bremner
- Boort District School Second Prize – Fi Rae
- East Loddon P-12 First Prize – Sarah James
- East Loddon P-12 Second Prize – Chelsea Hicks
- Pyramid Hill First Prize – Mary Estrella
- Pyramid Hill Second Prize – Samantha Treacy
- Wedderburn College First Prize – Matt McMahon
- Wedderburn College Second Prize – Ella Turnbull
Click on Read More to see the entries.
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The 2016 Loddon Healthy Minds Art Competition is on again and this year it is bigger and better.
For the first time there will be a written section for those who are challenged with the enormity of drawing a stick man. Yes, you can write a story around the topic for the year. After all, writing is an art form!
The theme this year is "Mental Health - Look Out For Your Mates!"
As usual there will be two sections, an Open section for those over 18 and a Junior section for those between the ages of 14 to 18.
Eligibility:
- The open section of this competition is open to all Loddon Shire residents aged over 18 years
- The junior section is open to all Loddon Shire residents between the ages of 14 to 18 years of age
- All work is to be completed within the last 12 months and solely by the artist
- Size of artwork is to be 1 metre square maximum and A4 minimum (needs to be transportable)
- Any medium can be used (painting, drawing, photography, sculpture etc.)
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We have a new logo for our Community Representatives!
Loddon Healthy Minds Network has representatives from many various organisations. There are quite a number of professionals who contribute their expertise and knowledge to the running of the organisation.
The Network recently felt it was appropriate to list these partners and acknowledge their involvement. Being professional organisations, they all had a nice logo to add to the front page.
That was all but one group of people though; our Community Representatives.
Community Representatives are integral to the working of the Healthy Minds Network. They are the ears and voices of mental health and advocacy to the Network. These people give up their time freely to contribute to the betterment of mental health and wellbeing within our Shire.
A logo has been approved by the Committee for use by the Community Representatives. In the form of a tree, it is representative of having it's roots in the Loddon Shire. The trunk of the tree represents the Committee and the leaves are representative of the community representatives feeding back into the committee and the Shire.
No logo would be complete without the Healthy Minds logo itself sitting at the heart of the image.
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EVENT POSTPONED. WE WILL ADVISE REVISED DATE AS SOON AS WE KNOW.
On Monday the 25th January 2016, the Victorian Farmers Federation will be running a workshop in Wedderburn called “Look Over The Farm Gate”.
The season has been pretty tough for our farmers, but it doesn’t just affect them. Periods of dry affect the entire community and in many ways. Obviously the farmers are the first to feel it with crops not growing and dams not filling, but then this extends to cash flow and poor harvests. In turn this means less money to spend in our towns, so the small businesses are affected also.
Financial pressures in small businesses can result in loss of jobs and increased friction between employees. Yet the real cause is simply the weather and the circumstances.
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Council is currently seeking expressions of interest from residents of Loddon Shire Council to represent the community on the Loddon Healthy Minds Network committee. The Committee currently has vacancies for two community representatives.
The Loddon Healthy Minds Network promotes and advocates for improved wellbeing and access to appropriate services for people in Loddon Shire affected by mental health issues. Meeting are held bi-monthly on the third Wednesday of the month and take place on a rotating roster throughout various locations of the Loddon Shire. Compensation for travel to meetings is provided.
If you have an interest in improving mental health and wellbeing in the wider Loddon Shire community we would be interested in hearing from you. Further queries may be directed to Wendy Gladman, Director Community Wellbeing on 5494 1226.
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The Five Ways to Wellbeing are a set of evidence-based actions which promote people’s wellbeing. They are: Connect, Be Active, Take Notice, Keep Learning and Give. These activities are simple things individuals can do in their everyday lives.
The Five Ways to Wellbeing were developed by New Economics Foundation from evidence gathered in the UK government’s Foresight Project on Mental Capital and Wellbeing. The project, published in 2008, drew on state-of-the-art research about mental capital and mental wellbeing through life. The Five Ways to Wellbeing were developed to communicate its key findings.
The Five Ways have been used by health organisations, schools and community projects across the UK and around the world to help people take action to improve their wellbeing. They’ve been used in lots of different ways, for example to get people to start thinking about wellbeing, to develop organisational strategy, to measure impact, to assess need, for staff development, and to help people to incorporate more wellbeing-promoting activities into their lives.
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The Youth Mental Health First Aid Course is for adults working or living with adolescents (those aged between 12 and 18 years), however, the course can be relevant for those helping people who are a little younger or older. This course is particularly suitable for parents, teachers, sports coaches, and youth workers.
What the course covers:
The course teaches adults how to assist adolescents who are developing a mental health problem or in a mental health crisis. Course participants learn about adolescent development, the signs and symptoms of the common and disabling mental health problems in young people, where and how to get help when a young person is developing a mental illness, what sort of help has been shown by research to be effective, and how to provide first aid in a crisis situation.
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Since the first men’s shed opened its doors in 1998 they have been popping up all over the country, including in Loddon Shire.
There must be a reason for that explosion of growth. As Weekly Times journalist Dale Webster discovered when she visited Boort Men’s Shed, it’s more than just having a place to make stuff.
Please note that the information provided on this page, or anywhere else on the site, is for general information only. It is NOT intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice from qualified practitioners. If you have concerns regarding your mental health, seek help from suitably qualfied people.