The PDF documents on this page can be downloaded and printed using Adobe Reader.
The Flash documents can be downloaded and printed using Adobe Flash Player. 
Older mothers, particularly those who conceive through invitro-fertilisation (IVF), may be at increased risk of developing depression during pregnancy or after the baby is born. Psychiatrist Marie-Paule Austin (pictured right), of Sydney's Black Dog Institute, said that although anecdotal evidence suggested IVF mothers may be particularly vulnerable to depression this was not borne out in the studies done to date. However their anxiety levels are likely to be higher which in turn can contribute to the onset of depression in pregnancy or postnatally.
Read the full AAP News Release [PDF, 32KB]
Read another AAP story about postnatal depression [PDF, 32KB]
Eight research institutes from around the world, including UNSW, have joined forces with Toronto’s Rotman Research Institute at the Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care in a multi-million dollar endeavour to study the remarkable, but little understood, ability of brain networks to rewire after damage caused by stroke, Alzheimer’s Disease, and other dementias. Dr Michael Breakspear, Research Fellow at the Black Dog Institute (pictured right), is among the stellar group of scientists and clinicians engaged in this ground-breaking work.
Read more [PDF, 44KB]
Read the AAP News Release [PDF, 40KB]
To celebrate Mental Health Week, the Black Dog Institute hosted a series of special interest lectures at its premises in Randwick. The guest speaker was Matthew Johnstone (pictured right), author of 'I Had a Black Dog' who spoke candidly about his personal experience of depression and the inspiration behind his recently-launched illustrated book. Other sessions covered 'Transcranial Magentic Stimulation', 'Neuroimaging', how personality styles influence depression, 'Stress Less Tips' and the use of 'Omega-3 to Treat Major Depression'. One hundred people from the local community attended and the event culminated in the planting of Aurora daisies - a flower chosen to symbolise mood disorders.
“There is life after depression,” the words of Australian icon, Margaret Olley. The 82-year-old painter was launching a new book written by the Executive Director of the Black Dog Institute, Professor Gordon Parker and Associate Professor Vijaya Manicavasagar of the Black Dog Institute/University of NSW. The book is available to professionals from December 2005.
Read more [PDF, 36KB]
The Black Dog Institute is pleased to announce the launch of its second writing competition 'How to live with the black dog' (depression). The competition aims to encourage sufferers, family members and friends to provide insights about their experiences and to describe the overriding influences in coping with mood disorders.
Open the flyer [PDF, 49KB]
Read the News Release [PDF, 34KB]
The association between Bipolar Disorder and creativity has long been recognised. In this cover story from the latest edition of Arts+Medicine, Professor Gordon Parker and Catherine Owen explore the nature of the Bipolar 'high' and consider such questions as whether people with Bipolar Disorder are more likely to 'hear the muse', whether depression contributes to the creative process, and whether treating Bipolar Disorder diminishes creativity. Article provided with the kind permission of Arts+Medicine.
Read more [PDF, 771KB]
Reference list for the article [PDF, 22KB]
Australian scientists are testing fish oil as an anti-depressant after countries with high seafood consumption were found to have lower rates of mood disorders. Professor Gordon Parker, Executive Director and psychiatrist, and Dr Anne-Marie Rees from the Black Dog Institute were recently interviewed about the trial for a nationally published article.
Read the article [PDF, 25KB]
Find out how to participate in the trial [PDF, 66KB]
Listen to the radio ad calling for volunteers in the trial
Gail Bell's controversial article "The Worried Well" (published in the June edition of Quarterly Essay) called attention to the significant rise in the use of antidepressants in Australia. Follow-up stories appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald and on the ABC Radio's Life Matters program. Professor Gordon Parker's response to the article was published in the September edition of Quarterly Essay. Article reproduced with the kind permission of Quarterly Essay.
Read Professor Gordon Parker's response [PDF, 61KB]
Professor Norman Sartorius M.D., Ph.D. ( Switzerland), one of the world's most eminent figures in the field of international mental health, delivered the keynote address at a gathering of leading Australian psychiatrists and mental health workers at the Black Dog Institute on Thursday 21 July. Professor Sartorius declared stigmatisation was the main obstacle to mental health care and the realisation of the human rights of all concerned.
Conquering the world's highest sporting peaks is no protection against life's lowest lows. Just ask Petria Thomas. Thomas, who won three gold medals in her Olympic swansong in Athens, chronicles a three-year struggle with depression and her journey to contentment in her biography Swimming Against the Tide.
Psychiatrist Gordon Parker, Executive Director of Sydney's Black Dog Institute which researches mood disorders, says he's treated many sports stars for depression, some during their careers, some afterwards... Read more [PDF, 28KB]
Despite appearing in good physical health and sounding "remarkably composed" on the phone to his family in Australia, [Douglas Wood's] brothers have expressed concerns for his long-term psychological well-being. Senior clinical psychologist Vijaya Manicavasagar, of Sydney's Black Dog Institute which researches mood disorders, said initial feelings of relief and elation were not uncommon in captives once they were released.
Read more [PDF, 24KB]
The 2004 Kinsman Research Scholarship into Postnatal Depression has been awarded to Dr Susan Priest and Associate Professor Marie-Paule Austin. The scholarship is awarded for a period of two years and carries of prize of $50,000. Both Dr Priest and Associate Professor Austin are working with the Black Dog Institute. Dr Priest is a Clinical and Research Psychologist while Associate Professor Austin is a Consultant Psychiatrist and Researcher.
Read a News Release [PDF, 26KB]
Find out more about the research into postnatal depression [PDF, 20KB]
Using magnetic fields to stimulate the brains of schizophrenia patients is showing promise as a way of quietening the voices in their heads, a leading Sydney psychiatrist says. Dr Colleen Loo is partway through an Australian pilot study using a non-invasive treatment, known as transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) on people with schizophrenia who experience daily auditory hallucinations. Dr Loo, of the Black Dog Institute, said she hoped to recruit about eight more people for the study.
Read more [PDF, 24KB]
Rene Rivkin had a lonely death but as one of the 10 per cent of bipolar disorder sufferers who take their own lives, he was not alone. The mood disorder, usually characterised by a person having high highs and low lows, is estimated to affect up to 600,000 Australian adults.
Read more [PDF, 27KB]
Severely depressed patients can recover three times faster by adding an anti-psychotic drug to conventional anti-depressants, Australian research has found. Psychiatrist Gordon Parker, Executive Director of Sydney's Black Dog Institute which researches mood disorders, said anti-psychotic drugs worked like jumper leads to a car battery, kickstarting recovery in some cases of depression.
Read more [PDF, 24KB]
Her Excellency, Prof. Marie Bashir AC, Governor of New South Wales, tonight announced the prizewinners of the writing competition to uncover the history of the term 'black dog' as a description of depression.
Read a News Release [PDF, 35KB]
Read the winning entries
The Minister for Science and Medical Research, Frank Sartor, today opened the new Black Dog Insitute building at 
Prince of Wales Hospital. The new facility, funded by the Carr Government, will undertake ground-breaking work in detection, treatment and management for people suffering depression.
Read a News Release [PDF, 30KB]
Australia is leading the world in initiating a trial to see if TMS (Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation) - the treatment where strong magnetic fields are used to stimulate the brain via a simple coil held to a patient's head - helps adolescents (15-18 yrs old) suffering severe depression.
Read a News Release [PDF, 45KB]
Find out how to participate in this research trial [PDF, 73KB]
(The picture on the right shows Research Psychologist, Tara McFarquhar (L) and Research Nurse, Emma Burgess, assisting in the treatment for a volunteer patient participating in the TMS Research Trial. TMS (Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation) involves the use of strong magnetic fields to stimulate the brain a simple butterfly-shaped coil held near to a patient's head for the treatment of depression.)
Two sporting legends, swimmer John Konrads and Rugby International, Enrique 'Topo' Rodriguez, have launched a campaign 'We Can Do Better' in an effort to cut the long time it takes to diagnose Australians with Bipolar Disorder'.
Read a News Release [PDF, 31KB]
A series of focus group meetings are to be held in Chatswood to obtain the views and attitudes of members of the public about depression.
Read a News Release [PDF, 28KB]
Childhood sexual abuse is an important risk factor for women with depression, according to a Black Dog Institute study. Dr Gemma Gladstone is the principal author of the study.
Read a News Release [PDF, 38KB]
Download a copy of the full article
Researchers at the Black Dog Institute are studying how people's different personality styles influence their risk of suffering depression. They have created a unique survey offering people the chance to assess their personality.
Read a News Release [PDF, 35KB]
Professor Philip Mitchell, Psychiatrist with the Black Dog Institute, and fellow colleagues from the University of New South Wales have carried out the first Australian national survey of the prevalence of bipolar disorder showing significant levels of disability associated with the disorder.
Read the UNSW News Release
Download a copy of the article: Psychological Medicine, 2004, 34, 777-785 [PDF, 111KB] (2004 Cambridge University Press)
Provided with the kind permission of Cambridge University Press
Dr Anne-Marie Rees, a Psychiatrist with the Black Dog Institute, has been awarded a grant to further her studies into finding a link between Omega-3 fatty acids and depression in pregnant and postnatal women.
Read a News Release [PDF, 28KB]
Corporate Australia is beginning to deal with the delicate issue of depression in the workplace.
Read the full story (Link provided by courtesy of the Business Review Weekly.)
Researchers at the Black Dog Institute are using Magnetic Resonance Imaging to study regions of the brain associated with Bipolar Disorder and how they differ in people suffering from the disorder.
Read a news release [PDF, 46KB]
The 'hidden depression' among the young and the elderly will be one of the special issues to be addressed at a public forum in Port Macquarie on Saturday.
Read the full story [PDF, 31KB]
The Premier of NSW, Mr Bob Carr and Mr Peter Joseph OAM, Chairman, Black Dog Institute, mark the commencement of construction of the Black Dog Institute's new building.
Read a News Release [PDF, 132 KB]
See a progress photo as at 19 July 2004.
In his teens, he was an idolised Olympic champion; at 30, MD of an international company. But if outwardly John Konrads' life looked happy and carefree, on the inside, it was a different story.
Read the full story [PDF, 63KB] (Reproduced with the permission of the Sydney Morning Herald.)
Page last updated: 25-Sep-2008
Depression and Bipolar Disorder Information Australia - Black Dog Institute.
Copyright © 2008 Black Dog Institute
Our site has been approved by the HealthInsite Editorial Board to be a HealthInsite information partner site