The Black Dog Institute is to host a special forum for health professionals to look at the issues and controversies in the detection and management of bipolar disorder in young people. Registrations for the one-day conference, to be held on Thursday 8 October, at the Institute's Randwick facility, opened today. Executive Director, Professor Gordon Parker, said it was a unique opportunity for health workers to look at the varying professional views as well as listen to insights from creative individuals living with bipolar disorder. The forum, he said, would be of particular benefit to professionals such as psychiatrists, paediatricians, general practitioners, psychologists, school counsellors and allied mental health care providers.
Register here
Read the flyer [PDF, 40KB]
A group of psychiatrists from the Philippines recently attended a one-day seminar at the Black Dog Institute to learn more about the Institute's work. A range of speakers, led by Executive Director, Professor Gordon Parker and Clinical Director, Dr Iain MacMillan, gave presentations that were praised by the participants. It was also an opportunity for the participants to be updated on work being undertaken by the Institute in the professional education and training of health professionals to better manage and treat patients with mood disorders, e-health developments,community programs and the Mood Assessment Program (the MAP) ,our computerised assessment and diagnostic program.
Do you enjoy public speaking and have a passion for making a difference in mental health? Apply now to join the Black Dog Institute’s Volunteer Program as a Speaker within our Community Education Program!
We are currently recruiting volunteer speakers for both Sydney metropolitan and rural NSW areas* to present Black Dog Institute presentations to various community groups to help reduce stigma associated with mood disorders and encourage people with mood disorders to seek help and early intervention. A two-day training session and ongoing support will be provided for volunteers. Volunteer speakers will be required to undertake speaking presentations approximately once per month and during working hours when required. Volunteers will be compensated for their out-of-pocket expenses. Applications close June 22nd.
*Rural locations: Gunnedah, Tamworth, Condoblin, Griffith, Dubbo, Casino, Newcastle.
Read the full position description [PDF, 45KB]
Read the news release [PDF, 99KB]
The Wambangalang Education Centre in Dubbo was the latest venue for a talk by Black Dog Institute creative advisor, Matthew Johnstone, on the subject ' Ingredients for Happiness'. More than 70 secondary school students from Lithgow to Broken Hill attended the camp, organised by Melanie Meers, the Regional Coordinator for Student Leadership in the Western Region. "Just as there is not a single remedy to cure depresion, there is not one finite reason for happiness," Matthew told the students. In using his 'Happiness Cake Presentation', Matthew said cakes are generally associated with happy times and they require special ingredients to make them enjoyable. "I basically presented a recipe on how to make a happiness cake, asking the group for their thoughts, ideas and insights," Matthew said. The presentation finished with the group using their artistic culinary skills to decorate some cakes. And, of course, the group then got to have their happiness cake and eat it too.
Matthew's Happiness Cake Recipe [PDF,79 KB]
Embodying the Aussie spirit for not giving up, Brian Battle is facing his demons head on thanks to his supportive wife and his friends at Bardia Barracks. Ever present in Brian's life, his rock and reason for getting up every day and looking forward to what it might bring, is his wife, Lyn. Brian is a former serviceman, horticulturalist, author and livewire curator of NSW memorabilia held at Ingelburn Army Camp precinct. It’s not been an easy journey for the couple, but things have got much better since Brian was diagnosed with bipolar almost 10 years ago by Black Dog Institute Executive Director & psychiatrist, Professor Gordon Parker.
Read the full story that appeared in the MacArthur Chronicle on Page 13
'No Man's Island' is a new Australian play exploring men's experience of depression and why they find it so hard to talk about their feelings.
On the 4th June, Matthew Johnstone, author of 'I Had a Black Dog' and 'Living With a Black Dog', will conduct a Q&A session following the show with actor Andrew Bibby (pictured here with fellow actor Simon Bossell).
Read the Shaman Productions news release [PDF, 224KB]
Date: 4th June, 2009
Time: 8pm
Venue: The TRS Old Fitzroy Theatre, Wooloomooloo
To book visit the Shaman Productions website
Congratulations to Rod Cheney who finished his epic walk from Coburn in South Australia to Newcastle in New South Wales on Saturday 16 May. Rod raised over $12,000 for the Black Dog Institute along the way as well as raising significant awareness about mental illness and the work of the Institute in every town he visited. Well done Rod! Thank you from all of us at the Black Dog Institute for a tremendous effort.
Rod, 39, lives in Newcastle with his wife and 6 beautiful children (5 girls and 1 boy). In September 2007, Rod lost his brother Michael to depression and prior to this an uncle on his mother’s side, Peter.
Rod said "Although I have never experienced depression myself, others in my family continue to live with depression and deal with the impact this has on their lives". Rod's brother Michael was supported by many people and organisations. One that provided considerable support was the Black Dog Institute. Rod's mission is to raise money for Black Dog Institute so it can continue its work in supporting people with depression and their loved ones.
Watch a Channel Nine news clip from his finish on Saturday [WMV file, 8.14MB]
Watch a Channel Nine news clip about Rod from midway in his journey [WMV file, 8.14MB]
To see pictures or to find out more about Rod's walk, visit his website.
To make a donation in support of Rod, visit his Everyday Hero webpage.
Find out about some of the other community-run fundraising events for the Black Dog Institute
Employees, co-workers and bosses tell their stories in an insightful look into Tackling Mood Disorders in the Workplace in the latest Black Dog Institute Australasian Writing Competition. As one essay writer declared, the days when an employer could get away with saying “leave your problems at the door” are long gone. “ We all know that no matter who you are, you usually ‘carry you around with you’ and that most people are not able to separate themselves so much so that that they can come to work without their problems,” said first prize winner, Maree Matic of Dulwich Hill in Sydney. The NSW Minister Assisting the Minister for Health (Mental Health), Barbara Perry, presented the first prize cheque for $2000 and a trophy to Maree for her essay titled Carrying ‘ME’ Around, during an award ceremony at the Institute today. Joined by the State Member for Coogee, Paul Pearce, the Minister acknowledged the important work being carried out by non-government organisations such as the Black Dog Institute.
Read the news release [PDF, 30KB]
Read the winning stories
READ A TRANSCRIPT OF THE MINISTER'S SPEECH [PDF, 70KB]
SEE A PHOTO ALBUM FROM THE CEREMONY
Exercise is being under-used as a treatment for depression resulting in a leading Australian authority on mood disorders calling on doctors and other health professionals to place a greater emphasis on physical activity for patients with the black dog disorder. Described as a neglected strategy, the Black Dog Institute is joining forces with Australian sportspeople to lead a drive to raise awareness in the community and amongst health professionals on the benefits of exercise to treat some forms of depression. John Konrads (Olympian), Brendan Capell (long distance swimmer) and David Spindler (golfer and professional caddie to some of the world’s best-known golfers) helped launched the Exercise the Mood initiative today. They were joined by the Executive Director of the Black Dog Institute, Professor Gordon Parker; Research Psychologist, Joanna Crawford; Director of the University of NSW (UNSW) Lifestyle Clinic, Chris Tzar and author, Graeme Cowan. Speaking at the launch, Professor Parker said exercise was particularly useful for reducing depression amongst people with mild/moderate depression who were previously inactive.
Pictured on the right are the three panelists (from L-R): Brendan Capell, John Konrads & David Spindler
Read the news release [PDF, 38KB]
Read a transcript of the launch [PDF, 143KB]
See a photo album from the event [Adobe Presentation]
See Joanna Crawford's presentation [PDF, 470KB]
See our fact sheet 'Exercise and Depression'
The Black Dog Institute recently launched a Volunteer Research Register to help in mental health research studies conducted at the Institute and the University of New South Wales (UNSW). The Institute conducts a large range of research studies relating to mood disorders. We are always looking for people – both with and without mood disorders – to take part in these studies that help advance our scientific knowledge. The Institute’s organisational model is represented by four interactive domains – Research, Clinical Services, Education and Training and Consumer and Community support. These domains are interdependent with each other- clinical observation shapes research hypotheses, while research findings are filtered back into clinical management, which in turn shapes the content of professional education and training programs as well as being disseminated to the community.
Go to the Volunteer Research Register
Read the full news release from April 1st, 2009 [PDF, 23KB]
Executive Director of the Black Dog Institute, Professor Gordon Parker, reports he is not experiencing a surge in cases of depression resulting from the financial crisis that has hit Australia and the rest of the world. Professor Parker was interviewed by journalist Fiona Smith and her story appeared in the Australian Financial Review on Tuesday 7 April. Professor Parker told the journalist that: "This is going to sound radical," he says cheerfully, "but we are not seeing many people who are coming along saying they are depressed by the financial situation. They may be saying they have lost 60 percent of their superannuation, or have lost $500,000 or $1 million, but then they laugh and say, 'Well we are all in it together'" .
The Weekend Australian Financial Review (April 4-5) looks at the way the internet is changing the delivery and management of health care. It's a trend that's giving millions of Australians the ability to manage their health more actively and, according to Black Dog Institute researcher, Associate Professor Judy Proudfoot, who is quoted throughout the story, the internet for this purpose will continue to be more of an influence. "We are taking more responsibility for our health and it's good if people find out about their health beforehand and check it out with the clinician as and when they need to." At the Black Dog Institute, Associate Professor Proudfoot is helping develop mobile phone and internet systems designed to aid people with mental illnesses in managing their conditions (see News Release below).
See 'Mobile Tracker' news release 20 June 2008 [PDF, 40KB]
Male General Practitioners (GPs) may not like the comparison, but female GPs are perceived to be more caring when seeing a patient suffering depression. According to a Black Dog Institute study published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, female GPs are likely to listen more than male counterparts and write longer referrals. In defence of male doctors, the study points out that, if these findings are valid, such differences in the care of patients could just reflect general gender differences. It could be a ‘men from mars, women from Venus’ scenario, in which the female doctors wish to spend more time in discussion versus male GPs cutting to the chase and making rapid technical decisions, with the female GP viewed as more caring in consequence, according to the study.
Read the news release [PDF, 28KB]
Read the full academic article
The Ministry of Health Care and Nutrition in Sri Lanka launched their ‘National Programme for Community Based Mental Health Care’, with a special focus on mood disorders, on the 24th March 2009 in Colombo. Over 100 clinicians from all over Sri Lanka were invited to attend the inaugural launch and the one and half day training workshop which immediately followed the launch. The importance of the training workshop was highlighted by the fact that the Ministry of Health paid for their clinicians’ accommodation and transport to Colombo from regional/rural areas. A key feature of this national launch and the training workshop was the participation of Sri Lankan speakers who had previously attended a specialised two-week training course in Sydney in August 2008 at the Black Dog Institute. Workshop tools and other professional resources were complied from the Black Dog Institute suite of educational materials for health professionals and incorporated into the overall training. Representatives from the Black Dog Institute who attended the launch and participated in the training and evaluation were Assoicate Professor Vijaya Manicavasagar and Dr Ilse Blignault (both pictured) who ran the training program in Sydney the previous year. A further training programme for an additional 60 participants will be held in November 2009 (in Sri Lanka) to complete training of all the Medical Officers in Sri Lanka working with the Ministry of Health.
The Black Dog Institute continues to set new benchmarks with recent emphasis on Let’s talk about depression” and going on the road to bring the Institute’s professionals, specialist knowledge and support information to sufferers of mood disorders, their families and through community programs. In the Institute’s Yearly Report, 2008 was described by Executive Director, Professor Gordon Parker, as a period of being “out there” in a major drive to improve the assessment and management of mood disorders. In responding to the challenge, the Black Dog Institute reported strong growth across all its streams of activity – Clinical Services, Professional Education and Training, Research and Community Programs. In the previous year (2007) we talked about the spectacular growth of the Institute website that averaged in excess of 100,000 hits a month. In October 2008, we surpassed for the first time 200,000 hits a month, while the monthly averaged climbed from 111,851 in 2007 to 156,418 hits in 2008. The Institute is constantly updating the information on the website for the public and professionals with the most popular pages such as the Fact Sheets, Bipolar Disorder Self Test, Depression Explained, Depression Self Test and the Health Professionals Home Page.
The 2008 Report is available online.
See the full News Release [PDF, 24KB]
The Black Dog Institute award ceremony for the 2009 Writing Competition will be held on Friday 1 May, 2009. The theme for this year's writing competition was Tackling Mood Disorders in the Workplace. A panel of three independent judges currently have the tough job of selecting our winners and the highly commended from 192 entries. The award ceremony will be held in the Robert Dean Lecture Theatre, starting at 10.30am and our special guest this year is the Minister Assisting the Minister for Health (Mental Health), the Hon. Barbara Perry MP.
Read more about this year's Writing Competition
Judges for the fifth Black Dog Institute Writing Competition have started the tough job of selecting our winners for 2009. Pictured (from left to right) are Jo-anne Quirk (a senior human resources practitioner and clinical psychologist); Graeme Cowan (author and consultant on mental health issues in the workplace); and Sally Tranter (Human Resources director). The theme of this year’s is Tackling Mood Disorders in the Workplace. Following the completion of judging, all entrants will be advised of the results while an award ceremony is held at the Institute to announce the winners and present their prizes.
Pictured left to right: Jo-Anne Quirk, Graeme Cowan and Sally Tranter.
The Black Dog Institute is offering immediate free specialist psychiatric and psychological consultations for up to 300 people experiencing melancholic depression as an inducement to participate in a 12-week trial. The reality is that currently people are waiting up to three to six months when they are referred to see a mood disorder specialist, according to the Black Dog Institute. The “queue jumping” trial announced today will allow people to receive free treatment and make a valuable contribution to a study that is designed to measure best treatments for melancholic depression. Professor Parker, Executive Director of the Black Dog Institute, has also given an undertaking that if the participants have not improved following the 12-week trial, the Institute will offer ongoing free management for their condition.
Around 200 entries have been received in the Black Dog Institute writing competition on the theme Tackling Mood Disorders in the Workplace. The essays provide the opportunity to learn more about how people with a mood disorder, their co-workers and bosses cope – positively or poorly – in dealing with the many immediate problems and potential concerns in the workforce. A three-person independent judging panel will be announced shortly to undertake the task of reading and selecting the winning entries. Following the completion of judging, all entrants will be advised of the results while a ceremony is held at the Institute to announce the winners and present their prizes.
Pictured on the right is Corinna, our Resource Centre Officer, holding a stack of entries.
Read more about the writing competition
Why not send an eCard to your loved one or friend who may be battling with a mood disorder? The Black Dog Institute provides a range of eCards as means for you to reach out and show your support.
We would like to thank the designers who provided their services to the Institute free of charge. All of the cards were designed by John Bevins Pty Ltd except the two dog cards which were by Matthew Johnstone, author of "I Had a Black Dog".
Choose from our full range of eCards
The Black Dog Institute is seeking help from workers and employers to establish a Jobholder’s Toolkit of effective strategies to tackle mood disorders in the workforce. Executive Director, Professor Gordon Parker, said the Institute was looking for ‘people strategies’. “What we want is for workers to describe what either worked or did not work for them,” he said. “Further, we wish to hear from managers and co-workers about what they have found helpful when confronted with the issue.” The Institute is asking for people to tell their stories in a writing competition with the theme Tackling Mood Disorders in the Workplace. Entries close on 31 January, 2009.
Read the news release [PDF, 25KB]
Read more about the writing competition
Professors Philip Mitchell and Perminder Sachdev of the University of NSW (UNSW), who have close ties with the Black Dog Institute, have each been appointed Scientia Professor from 2009 to 2014. Professors Mitchell and Sachdev have each received this appointment in recognition of their outstanding contributions to research in their respective fields. In announcing their appointment, the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Professor Peter J Smith, said Professors Mitchell and Sachdev are both leading academic and research psychiatrists in Australia and recognised internationally for their research expertise in psychiatry and neuroscience. A full description of the criteria for appointment of Scientia Professor is available on the UNSW website.
Professor Gordon Parker, Executive Director of the Black Dog Institute, has expressed concerns with a Swedish study that suggests schizophrenia and bipolar disorder share common genetic causes and the two conditions may simply be the different manifestations of the same disease. The question of whether the two mental illnesses are distinct entities or represent a disease continuum is widely debated in psychiatry and the report, published in The Lancet , calls for a rethink on the way schizophrenia and bipolar disorder are classified. Professor Parker told the Sydney Morning Herald that he would be immensely worried if the two conditions were reappraised into the one all encompassing illness. Speaking with Tim Webster on 2UE, Professor Parker said there was a real risk of over treatment for some patients. He said he believed the group that would be particularly affected by any such change would be those with bipolar disorder who keep their condition under control with minimal medication.
Read the Sydney Morning Herald article
Last year, there was considerable international media focused on a British analytic study which argued that new antidepressants were basically ineffective. Today, Executive Director of the Black Dog Institute, Professor Gordon Parker, argues that no clinician or researcher could interpret anything meaningful from the study because the randomised controlled database was so “intrinsically flawed”. The ‘apples’ assessed in such trials do not correspond to the ‘oranges’ in clinical practice, resulting in a real disconnect between clinical practice and randomised trials. Also, trial components contribute to the disconnect, said Professor Parker. The antidepressant drugs referred to are the dual action types such as SNRI’s and SSRI’s. His comments are contained in a paper, titled ‘Antidepressants on trial: how valid is the evidence?’ just published in the British Journal of Psychiatry which critically analyses a paper published last year by Kirsch and colleagues.
Read the news release [PDF, 30KB]
Read the abstract
Read the full article
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. 
Page last updated: 2-Jul-2009
Depression and Bipolar Disorder Information Australia - Black Dog Institute.
Copyright © 2009 Black Dog Institute
Our site has been approved by the HealthInsite Editorial Board to be a HealthInsite information partner site