dNet Work Centre Empowering people to make informed choices and find solutions to the challenges of living with depression in the workplace

Depression Untreated depression has potentially devastating impacts on:  The person suffering depression  Family – partners, children, parents  Friends, community  Work, income, finances The sooner depression is identified, the easier it is to treat and the more options available for ‘treatment’. ‘Depression’ ? ‘Anxiety’ ? ‘Stress’ ? Feeling ‘depressed’ is only one of many possible symptoms of depression. Depression is a major issue in the community & workplace 1 in 5 Australians will have major depression at some time in their lives 8 Australians will take their own lives today!

Emergency services Recovery? Do Nothing Denial / ignore Get Worse? Stay Same? 60,000 attempted Suicides in Aus pa Less than 60% of Australians with depression seek treatment.

Diagnosis? Yes Accurate Treatment? Yes Inaccurate Recovery? Yes Incomplete Effectively Managed Yes Complete Relapse? No Healthcare professional No 80% of people with depression can be symptom free within 10 weeks of receiving the proven most efficacious treatment.

The Need What is happening to me? Where can I get Help? Is there anyone I can talk to? Am I alone? Am I depressed enough? Will I need medication for ever? I can’t talk to my doctor, I don’t know what to say My work is suffering - what if I lose my job? How will people relate to me? Will I be committed? When do I stop treatment? How have others coped? information, help and support => by and for people like me What treatments are available other than medication? I am going crazy… losing my mind! This isn’t me… my old self!! I am destroying my life and can’t seem to stop! I don’t want anyone to know I don’t know who to trust ! Therapy? Am I really nuts? Do other people go through this? My family don’t understand…

‘People Like Us’ “Our initial healing may take place in our therapies or medications, but the final stage of the journey is ours and ours alone. Yet before this can happen we invariably need to turn to people like us for support, encouragement and the occasional swift kick in the pants.” John McManamy, Lawyer, Journalist, depression sufferer.

Diagnosis? Yes Accurate Treatment? Yes Inaccurate Recovery? Yes Incomplete Effectively Managed Yes Complete Relapse? No Healthcare professional No Emergency services Do Nothing Denial / ignore Get Worse? Stay Same? 60,000 attempted Suicides in Aus pa depressioNet - Information, Help & Support “people like me” Understand, validate, encourage. Identify issues, ideas, solutions. Hope 2nd Opinion

The purpose of depressioNet is to empower people to find solutions to the challenges of living with depression Depression can be effectively treated However for people suffering depression, there are many barriers to seeking, receiving and adhering to treatment Peer sharing, support, encouragement is vital! By, and for, people living with depression, depressioNet represents true empowerment and is unique in providing a comprehensive resource for the three critical factors: Information; help; peer support. depressioNet.com.au 24/7 Online Care Team messageboard and chat depressioNet

Information => Clinical => What this means to me => Share other’s experiences Help => Access to professional treatment & support => ‘Tools’ and strategies => Bridge to services & resources (suicide intervention) Support => 24 hour , messageboard & chat => Ability to GIVE and receive => Help to obtain support in the ‘real’ world depressioNet

I found dNet two months ago when I was searching the net for a painless way to kill myself. It was only through finding this site that I didn't proceed this way. I learned that there is such a thing as D, that it's manageable and I learned how manage it. I have myself, my psych and dNet to thank for all these benefits. Graham R. depressioNet In 2005 the 24-hour trained depressioNet Online Care Team… Conducted over 500 suicide interventions and responded to over 40,000 personal s helped over 5,000 people find help & support services in their area and… over 200,000 people visited depressioNet.com.au… spending an average of ½ hour in depressioNet.com.au making over 75,000 messageboard posts

Beyond Blue ‘Head’ (Industry & Public) Information (general) Research – Treatments, impact etc Professional (eg GP) education, rebates for therapy, etc Community Awareness Stigma Reduction (community) Advocacy Improving current model depressioNet ‘Heart’ (People - Individuals) Information (specific - ‘where I am at’) Research Assistance (participants) Access to quality professionals and support groups, Increase adherence to treatments, Personal issue awareness, empathy, Stigma Reduction (toward ourselves) Responsibility, ownership Investigating, creating new model Complimentary Perspectives

MBF Foundation & depressioNet ‘Partners in Health’ dNet Work Centre Project => development, => implementation, => review => evaluation Online ‘centre’ Mirror of the successful depressioNet.com.au Focus on work specific needs, issues, solutions dNet Work Centre

Information => Person with depression => Employers / managers / co-workers / family => Other’s experiences (in the work place) Help => Work / industry based resources => Independent / private resources => Mental Health & well being Support => Online peer support (mb & chat) => Help to obtain support in the workplace => Providing appropriate support in the workplace dNet Work Centre Extending the successful model to workplace specific...

MHCs PLWD Major depression Mental Health PeaceSuicide Emotional IssuesDepressionDepressed Mental health & Wellbeing Mental Illness ‘Depression’ is an (mental) illness. Most mental illnesses are more difficult to treat and long term disabling. Major depression is relatively easy to treat. Milder forms of depression are difficult to detect and are best addressed by encouraging mental health & wellbeing. Depression Perspectives depressioNet

Depression => ‘major’ / ‘clinical’ depression => milder forms of depression ‘Early Intervention’ => (Major depression) relapse prevention => milder forms of depression => Stress / anxiety management Mental Health Improvement => Increase quality of life / relationships / work etc => Correlation with physical health improvement dNet Work Centre Broader ‘mental health’ focus

Major depression Mental Health PeaceSuicide Emotional IssuesTreatmentDepressed Therapy (Cognitive Behaviour, Interpersonal Relationship) Tools & Strategies (eg relaxation / Formal, Informal ‘eg Making Changes’) Peak (mental) health (Meditation / Formal, Informal ‘eg Calm Life Skills)’ dNet Work Centre

Individual => Ongoing Satisfaction monitor => Website data => Formal evaluation Workplace => unplanned absenteeism => sick leave Health Insurers => Reduced claims => Type of claims dNet Work Centre Evaluation

dNet Work Centre Sustainability Extremely resource efficient  engages the people it serves as the resources.  depressioNet provides environment, coordination, collation  ‘scaleable’ Smart Partnerships  depressioNet – people living with depression  Employers – business benefits  Government & Health Industry benefits

“When people are able to help somebody else’s process of recovery, feelings of self confidence and value replace need and self focus… feelings of trust and the ability to stay connected can diminish the need for external intervention and emergency treatment” - J. Neugeboren, Transforming Madness depressioNet

"I like living. I have sometimes been wildly, despairingly, acutely miserable, racked with sorrow, but through it all I still know that just to be alive is a grand thing." - Agatha Christie