Hear the Whisper, not the roar: reform, reflect and review
We need to be mindful that each person’s mental health is different. People need opportunities to achieve their optimal level of mental health, and we all need to invest in that.
Deterioration in a person’s mental health often starts in small ways, think of these changes as whispers. Unfortunately, whispers can be missed or misunderstood. Therefore, when we hear the whispers, we need to become aware that mental health is being impacted, and we need to listen more closely to what that whisper is telling us, rather than waiting for the roar before taking action.
The concepts of mental health and mental illness have changed over the years and it is timely to use events such as TheMHS to showcase the evidence of how we reform, reflect and review the supports and services we all provide.
The importance of meaningful input, both the whisper and the roar from people with a lived experience offers a unique opportunity to “reform, reflect and review” mental health at all levels.
Change occurs at such a fast pace – research, innovation, globalisation, connectivity through the web, changes in evidence based practice, and impact of stressors experienced by different groups in different places.
Australia and New Zealand need to adapt to these ongoing changes and be flexible in supporting the mental health and wellbeing of our community.
There is a need to reform the supports and services provided and the way these are delivered, and then to reflect on the effectiveness of these reforms. We need to give ourselves permission to review the work we undertake as we try to meet the ever-changing mental health needs of our community.
TheMHS Conference 2018 will be held at the Adelaide Convention Centre on the banks of the Torrens River.
