Speaker Reports

Apr 07: Bernard McNair

The speaker for the April meeting was Bernard McNair and these notes on his talk were submitted by Nick Baines.

Bemard gave a very informative presentation of which the following are inadequate notes!

Bemard spent six years with Beyond Blue and now has his own practice - Healthcare Nursing Agency at Pymble.

• Stress is normal and universal for all humans
• Symptoms can be positive or negative
• Depends how it is managed
• Many famous people have been affected by different forms of Mental Illness, eg. Winston Churchill and his "Black Dog", Princess Diana, Michael Slater.

Depression is a mood disorder characterised by an unusually persistent sad mood that does not go away (at least two weeks) - helplessness, hopelessness, worthlessness

Suicide - about six people a day

Symptoms of depression can affect emotion, thought, behaviour, physical

Anxiety (Panic) is a heightened state of arousal. Some indications are:

• Withdrawal from activities

• Increased irritability and frustration
• Increased sensitivity to criticism
• Complaints of aches and pains/lethargy
• Traumatic event

What we can do to help: - offer support and hope!

Don't ignore the situation; doing something is far better than nothing.

Resilience - The capacity to bounce back Resilience journey

Get message across to the person who is not well that you want to be supportive not critical

• you are not usually like this, etc.
• put control into their hands

How does a person get an insight into their condition?

Approximately 20% of Australian adults will have a Mental Health problem / year. The cost to Australian business is $13 billion p.a.

Recommended Book: Ian Hickey - "Depression and Anxiety"