81134 - Dealing with Depression in Rural Australia

Depression is a common condition frequently managed in primary care. 
Identifying and managing depression in a rural context presents a unique set of challenges for health professionals providing mental health care in their communities. Dealing with Depression in Rural Australia is a highly interactive, multi-disciplinary program developed specifically to address the needs of clinicians delivering health care for people presenting with depression in a rural setting. 
Using a case-based problem solving format, the program outlines a practical framework for assessment and management planning readily applicable to primary care.

Caring for the mental health of the population in remote and rural areas can be particularly challenging. Studies have pointed to higher levels of psychological distress and risk of suicide in non-urban areas coupled with a relative lack of suitably trained health professionals and services. There is therefore a pressing need to ensure that personnel involved in the provision of health care in these areas have access to clinically relevant, high quality training in recognising and managing common mental health presentations. This workshop will deliver one day face to face educational workshops to general practitioners, psychologists, social workers, mental health nurses and aboriginal health workers practising in rural and remote areas of Australia. We have taken our core mental health program “Dealing with Depression” and adpted it to meet the unique learning needs of a multidisciplinary group working in a remote and rural setting.