The SANE Blog

You’ve forgotten your password for the second morning in a row. As you re-set it – again – you start to wonder if this minor inconvenience is actually the sign of something more sinister. Is this the start of a cognitive decline? And if so, will you be forgetting your loved ones within a decade?

Have you ever listened to a song and strongly related to the words or the music? It can be comforting to hear someone else express emotions that reflect how you are feeling or what you are thinking.

Music is powerful and very personal. It can affect our emotions, motivate or comfort us, and above all give us pleasure! Music plays a major part in people’s lives. And for many their musical tastes and interests are strongly tied to their sense of identity.

Today is Close the Gap Day. A day when we recognise the health gap that exists for Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people, and identify what needs to be done to close this gap.

Since 2006, the Close the Gap Coalition — a group of Indigenous and non-Indigenous organisations — has called for governments to take action and achieve Indigenous health equality by 2030.

When someone experiences a mental health crisis, the treatment they receive often excludes them from the decision-making process. This can result in isolation, increasing their distress and aggravating symptoms.

So is this the best way to respond to a mental health crisis? And why isn’t the patient and their family consulted and included in the decision-making?

‘If we are truly to raise community understanding, we have some difficult dialogues ahead,’ Flick Grey told a room of people at a conference back in 2011.

She was speaking about her own experience as a trauma survivor but really she was also encouraging those in the room to not accept the status quo.

‘I’m not going to tell you a story about how I was suffering immensely...behaving difficultly... and then got treatment and the help and support I need,’ Flick says in her speech.

It’s something that Flick has strove for since she received a diagnosis of BPD in 2005 that she says ‘politicized’ her.

The more time and effort you put into something the better the outcome, right? This is a scenario we often face at work when confronted by a growing inbox or a long ‘to-do list’.

But is this the best way to go about work? Do increased working hours equate to better workplace outcomes? And what is the effect on our overall mental health?

We talk about it casually, and you’ve no doubt seen Hollywood’s take on it – One Flew Over the Cookoo’s Nest, Good Will Hunting, and Silver Linings Playbook to name just a few. But what is psychology? And how does it relate to us?

Mental Health Week brings our own wellbeing into focus. So it’s a good time to think about what you can do if you have concerns about your own mental health, or that of a family member or a friend.

It takes courage to take the first step. You may have noticed changes in your own mood, or observed worrying behaviours in someone else. Either way it could be time to acknowledge that there is problem and reach out for help.

How many times have you heard someone say that a lottery win would make them happy?

How many times have you thought this yourself?

Lottery winners have actually been the subject of research studies. What we know from this research is their happiness is only boosted for about six months. After that first rush of euphoric spending they return to their previous levels of happiness. So if they were unhappy before winning, they’re likely to be wealthier, but not happier, people.

Sleeping . . . it’s simple right? You get out of bed in the morning, stay active for around 16 hours, then go back to bed and fall asleep. Simple.

If a child has problems sleeping we tell them to count sheep, offer a glass of warm milk, or set their room to a mild temperature. These techniques can help to calm their mind and allow sleep to come more naturally.