Mindframe for the Mental Health Sector
Mindframe for the Mental Health Sector
Mindframe for the Mental Health Sector is part of the Mindframe National Media Initiative (or Mindframe). This initiative aims to encourage responsible, accurate and sensitive reporting of suicide and mental illness and mental health through supporting a range of complementary and integrated projects.
Engagement with news media professionals in recent years revealed that the mental health sector (ie anyone involved in mental health) is a major source of information for the media on mental illness and suicide. In 2004, a scoping study indicated that the mental health sector was supportive of the Mindframe initiative providing leadership around work with the media and believed opportunities existed for the sector to further support the principles of Mindframe on a National, State and local level.
Based on these findings, the Commonwealth Government Department of Health and Ageing considered that an extension to Mindframe to promote the issues within the mental health sector would be beneficial and subsequently Mindframe for the Mental Health Sector officially commenced in July 2005. In July 2006, the Department of Health and Ageing confirmed its commitment to these issues with an additional three years funding to support new and existing projects under Mindframe.
Project aims
Mindframe for the Mental Health Sector is coordinated and managed by the Hunter Institute of Mental Health in partnership with SANE Australia, Auseinet and Multicultural Mental Health Australia.
Mindframe for the Mental Health Sector aims to raise awareness about, and encourage the adoption of, the principles of Mindframe in the mental health sector. To this end, a suite of resources, including a resource book, quick reference cards and a website have been developed for the mental health sector to support their work with the media.
Representatives from different groups within the mental health sector as well as a range of media professionals participated in the consultation and review during the resource development process. The resources have been designed to assist the mental health sector in its dealings with the media and to complement the work being done with the Australian media under Mindframe. It is envisaged that an appropriate, sector-consistent approach to the provision of information on mental illness and suicide to journalists and other media professionals, in line with the available evidence on best practice reporting of the issues will assist with achieving this goal.
The project aims are principally being achieved through the promotion and dissemination of these resources developed for the mental health sector to support their work with the media. The mental health sector is composed of a range of government and non-government organisations of varying functions, sizes and degrees of capacity. Consequently, all facets of the project have been developed with six key target groups in mind:
- media professionals in health and mental health organisations;
- individual mental health, medical and allied health professionals and the organisations who represent them;
- mainstream government and non-government mental health organisations;
- multicultural mental health organisations and services;
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health and mental health organisations and services;
- consumers and carers.
Resources
A suite of free resources including a resource book, quick reference cards and a website have been developed to meet the needs of the mental health sector. The Suicide and Mental Illness in the Media: A Mindframe Resource for the Mental Health Sector resource book and companion website contain information about:
- The effects of reporting suicide and mental illness in certain ways;
- Issues to consider when providing information to the media;
- Ways of working with the media; and
- Facts and statistics and useful contacts
The accompanying quick reference card contains summaries of the key issues explored in the resource book. (A specific quick reference card for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations has also been produced).
Project Activity
In May 2006, a limited number of the resource book and quick reference cards were distributed to mental health organisations nationally. They were distributed to government and non-government organisations, organisations for people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians, and consumer and carer groups.
Due to popular demand, and a continuation of funding from the Commonwealth Government Department of Health and Ageing, the resource book has been re-printed and is currently available to all interested parties within Australia.
Interested individuals are encouraged to peruse the resources, available in PDF format at www.mindframe-media.info and to contact the project team if they would like to receive a hard copy version.
In an attempt to actively promote and disseminate the resources to the mental health sector, the project team routinely seeks opportunities to offer interactive workshops or presentations at relevant conferences and events. In addition, the project offers individually tailored workshops or informal meetings for individual workplaces or organisations who express interest.
A brief, quarterly electronic newsletter, Mindframe News was inaugurated in December 2006 to assist with the continuing engagement of stakeholders in the mental health sector. Go to http://www.mindframe-media.info/go/mindframe_news for the latest issue or contact the Mindframe Communications Officer, Mimi Simeonov on (02) 4924 6904 or email Mindframe@hnehealth.nsw.gov.au to be added to the email list.
Enquiries about this project can be directed to Jaelea Skehan on (02) 4924 6925 or email Jaelea.Skehan@hnehealth.nsw.gov.au
Mindframe for the Mental Health Sector is part of the Commonwealth Government Department of Health and Ageing’s Mindframe National Media Initiative. Details about other Mindframe projects are available at www.mentalhealth.gov.au or the project website at www.mindframe-media.info
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