Healthy approach to mental illness
by Michèle Nardelli
UniSA
is offering an innovative new mental health study option in 2007 which
will better prepare a wide range of health professionals for the
increasing impact of mental illness in society and the workplace.
Program coordinator at UniSA, Associate Professor Eimear Muir-Cochrane says increases in the incidence of mental illness in the community are making an impact in a wide range of health and care settings.
"Estimates show that more than 20 per cent of the adult population will confront some kind of mental health problem in their lifetime," Prof Muir-Cochrane said. "And for young people that can be as high as 10 to 15 per cent in any one year.
"Given those sorts of statistics it is clear that professionals across a range of health care settings will often find themselves at the ‘front-line’ in dealing with mental illness. Increasingly they have to consider mental health issues in the treatment and care mix for many patients and clients."
The new Graduate Diploma in Mental Health has been designed specifically to prepare nurses, midwives and a wide range of health service providers from podiatrists and physiotherapists to social workers and occupational therapists to care for clients experiencing mental health problems.
This program is one of only a handful of similar degrees in Australia and Prof Muir-Cochrane says it provides students from diverse health disciplines with a chance to study, collaborate, research and analyse issues together as they would do in their daily work environment.
"Students will engage with a range of issues from prevention strategies and the rights of people with mental illness, to the impact on families and the community," she said. The one year external program is supported by online and teleconference discussions, workshops and a comprehensive package of study materials. Nurses studying the program will undertake a clinical component that can be undertaken in their current workplace.
More information is available from Assoc Prof Eimear Muir-Cochrane on (08) 8302 2751 or via email on eimear.muir-cochrane@unisa.edu.au