Australasian psychiatry : bulletin of Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists
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Trevor Clark usually works as a bulk fuel truck driver. He has a passion for poetry, writing and guitar playing which he uses as a sounding board for reflective learning and development. ⋯ Currently, Trevor is working on his first novel while he recovers from physical injuries incurred on his quest for autonomy and place. Managing his mental health is of paramount importance to Trevor and even though this may be trying at times, he lives and works happily with his condition.
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Duncan Monaghan is 33 years old and in his second year of an Arts degree in Creative Writing. He is a published poet and is currently producing a music CD. ⋯ I felt different from everybody else--I did not understand what was happening to me." Drawing on his life experiences, Duncan has been enhancing his recovery through creativity--in poetry, lyrics, music and story. "Life for me was a constant battle of relying on medication and appointments with my case manager...until I realized I could combine my recovery with my passions as a tool to use as an outlet to many of the "mind traps" I so often found hindering my own recovery." Duncan is Aboriginal and has experience of the mental health systems in most states and territories and now lives in Brisbane. This is a shortened version of his presentation at Creating Futures 2010.
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Australas Psychiatry · Jul 2011
Health consequences of disparity: the US Affiliated Pacific Islands.
Health disparities and the social determinants of health are often discussed, but their relationship to political forces, the integrity of cultures, social and environmental change, and mental health outcomes are not well understood. Specifically the US Affiliated Pacific Islands Jurisdictions (USPAIJ) is an area of profound isolation and deprivation with a unique sociocultural history. This article provides an overview of health disparities in the US Affiliated Pacific in the context of the environment, and international and state policies. The article explores how the political, economic, social, and environmental context of the USAPIJ shapes health status and provides a "social determinants of health" model for health improvement for the people of the region.