Dr Mark Cross and Dr Catherine Hanrahan - Changing Minds

MARK CROSS is currently senior psychiatrist at Campbelltown Hospital, running the youth ward and community team. He features in the top-rating ABC documentary series, Changing Minds.

CATHERINE HANRAHAN has a biological science PhD and is a health journalist and ABC researcher who also worked on Changing Minds.

The authors are indebted to Alison Black, who conceived the idea of this book and started the ball rolling. Without her enthusiasm, there would have been no TV series and no book. Our agent Clare Forster was instrumental in bringing this book to publication and we thank her for her guidance and encouragement. We thank Kate ODonnell for her insightful suggestions and thorough editing, which made this a better book than it would otherwise had been, and Katie Stackhouse and Lachlan McLaine and all the team at ABC books for their generous support and guidance.

Mark Scott was a great support, under his leadership the ABC brought mental health to the attention of the nation and we thank him and the ABC.

We would like to thank Jason Ball, Xavier Eales, Craig Hamilton, Kate Swaffer, Joe Williams and Mary Oxley-Griffiths for their advice on the text and their bravery on speaking out about their own and their loved ones experience of mental illness.

Our thanks go to Professor Gin Malhi for his thoughtful foreword and his support of the book. It was a daunting task in many respects writing this book, fuelled by anxiety at times and his words mean a lot to us.

Mark would also like to thank and acknowledge his patients, the consumers of the mental health services, the very people who give meaning to his career as a doctor and without whom his life and this book would be without colour.

Finally, Mark would like to thank his family, John, Clem, Arlo, Justin, Amy and Kate, whose patience and support during the year when writing the book took over will always be appreciated and Catherine would like to thank Adam and Zoe for their encouragement and support, without which this book would not have been possible.

WHAT REAL PEOPLE SAY ABOUT THIS BOOK

DEPRESSION

The prospect that depression will one day return to me is an unending concern. Its a feeling akin to a young childs fear of a monster being under the bed. If one day I must face that battle again, however, life experience tells me that speaking out is my most powerful weapon.

Many of the solutions suggested by Dr. Cross resonate greatly with my own experience. The importance of listening and understanding cannot be underestimated. Contrary to what is often practiced, agreeing rather than debating with a depressed person on their outlook in life allows the sufferer to feel welcome and acknowledged.

Xavier Eales, 17-year-old Sydney student who revealed the years of pain he endured as a result of undiagnosed depression in a speech to his school community in 2015.

LIVING WITH A MENTAL ILLNESS

Many people in our society avoid facing up to mental illness, including treatment, because they fear the discrimination they will experience afterwards.

We need to be aware that mental illness is an invisible disability. A simple analogy is to liken mental illness to a condition such as Type one diabetes. You cant see the chemical imbalance but it is nonetheless having a profound effect on the person who has it.

Kate Swaffer, psychologist and disability advocate

BIPOLAR DISORDER

The information on bipolar disorder is fantastic. It explains and fleshes out the key states of mania, hypo-mania, depression and psychosis. A great insight into the illness and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to broaden their knowledge on mental health issues.

Craig Hamilton, an ABC broadcaster who has bipolar disorder and advocates on mental health and lifestyle.

PSYCHOSIS

Psychosis is the most baffling, stigmatised and misunderstood area of mental illness and perhaps the area that causes the most distress to the patient and loved ones caring for the person.

The authors expresses that immediate treatment with medications as well as a solid support base following first episode psychosis is paramount in keeping the condition managed and minimizing the recurrence of symptoms.

Just maybe, if my husband Jeremy had been presented with the knowledge, support and medications available now, his life may have taken a different path and he may not have had to suffer those long years of chaos, occasional homelessness, poor health, loneliness and despair. I urge every potential patient, family member and carer to read this chapter thoughtfully to try to gain an understanding of what psychosis can be like, and approach it with patience and with love.

Mary Oxley-Griffiths, registered nurse and wife of Sunnyboys frontman Jeremy Oxley.

SUICIDE

As a survivor of a suicide attempt, I found Not A Cowards Way Out: Suicide an honest, hard hitting, raw and emotionally gripping read. Suicide has been a taboo topic for many years so it is encouraging to hear people now continuing the conversation. Not only does this book raise awareness, but it also is educational on the topic. A great read.

Joe Williams, proud Wiradjuri Aboriginal man and former NRL player turned professional boxer.

GENDER AND SEXUALITY

There is a rainbow of different expressions of gender and sexuality and you are in safe hands with Dr Mark Cross as he navigates this complex and far too often misunderstood area of the human experience, and its impact on mental health.

Jason Ball, former AFL player and LGBTI and mental health advocate

When we filmed Changing Minds we quickly saw that not many people outside the system truly understand what it is we do in mental health. People often told me that seeing the series showed another world an interesting but very confronting one. Health professionals who saw it were glad that others, including their own families, could finally understand what their work involved, and the carers and patients/consumers said there is not enough information out there, and that what there is is hard to find at times and too often contradictory. So the main rationale for this book is to provide helpful, informative, up-to-date detail, for everyone.

I want this book to be a practical guide to mental health disorders for all the people affected by them patients/consumers, carers, families, teachers, friends and employers. Of course I also hope that the general public will be curious about issues that affect people with mental health and their families. I cant tell you how many times a new patient, when asked about their family history, will say something like, We always thought Uncle Ed had issues, or My father has never been diagnosed, but he is very moody.

With mental illness affecting one in four Australians, the next time you are at a meeting, a conference, on the train, on a plane, at a family BBQ or in the locker room after a game, you can be sure there are at least a couple of people there with you who either have been or are being treated for a mental illness. Chances are they are right next to you. Chances are you may be going through some tough times yourself. You might even crack a joke about someone with a disability, someone with mental illness, someone who may be confused about their identity, because isnt it great to project emotion tell yourself it belongs to that other person, and not you rather than have to deal with it? You dont notice the few who dont laugh, or the ones who laugh that little bit too hard.

People will say: Hold on, theyre just jokes, mate. I am not bowing down to PC bullshit! Well, this is not political correctness, this is acknowledging the reality of human emotional response, and doing that is the essence of being a compassionate person. Making jokes at the expense of those already downtrodden and discriminated against is not the true mateship we Australians know and deserve.