Workplace Forums

Did you know?

♦  Depression now affects over 800,000 Australians every year.

♦  One in five people are likely to have depression or anxiety in their lifetime.
Depression and anxiety now accounts for about a third all claims for income protection insurance and about 50% of costs. If we are to make a difference in this area we need to identify these problems early.

In Australia, depression cost $2.5 billion per year in absenteeism and $900 million in impairment at work.

Professor Harvey Whiteford, former head of the Mental Health Branch of the Commonwealth Department Health and Aged Care has said, "Depression is an economic issue. If you treat the depression, it has an economic return for the employer, for the individual, for Australia. There's a cost to not treating depression".

Workplace Forums bring together management and staff to learn about and discuss all aspects of mental illness including early recognition and treatment. The forum will consist of two speakers, a Clinician and a Consumer (sufferer) and the presentation will take approximately an hour - giving enough time for questions and answers.

The aim of the workplace and community forums project are:

♦  To help de-stigmatise mental illness.
♦  To bring the community in contact with mental health services and support groups.
♦  To clear myths and misunderstandings surrounding mental illness to raising awareness of the need for early recognition and treatment of mental illness.
♦  To offer hope and understanding to consumers and carers to form ongoing partnerships between mental health services, support groups, local government and the community.
For more details contact:

Cheryl Deguara,
Projects Co-ordinator
Phone: (02) 8837 1900
Fax: (02) 96355042
Email: cheryldeguara@australianrotaryhealth.org.au