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From its beginnings in 1985, the week has grown to encompass hundreds of events and a multitude of individuals, community groups and service providers throughout the state.
Much of the effort of running Mental Health Week comes from dedicated volunteers committed  to promoting mental wellbeing, furthering knowledge about mental health and eliminating the stigma surrounding mental illness.

As co-ordinator of Mental Health Week in Victoria, the Mental Health Foundation of Australia (Vic) has the active involvement and participation of state and federal governments, as well as non-government organisations and communty-based health and social impact agencies. They are sharing the Week with the Victorian Government, along with many other mental health, health, education, recreation and support agencies.

If you would like more information about Mental Health Week 2011 or to see the Events list in Victoria go to http://www.mentalhealthvic.org.au/index.php?id=8.

Labor has been heavily criticised by medical and community groups since it deferred PBS listing of seven drugs in February, even though experts suggested they should be made available.

The government relented on one of those drugs in June and the remaining six are among 48 new medicines added to the list on Friday.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard said more than 160,000 Australians would benefit each year from the subsidised access to the new listed drugs.

They include treatments for serious heart conditions, heart failure in infants and children, tuberculosis and cancer.

Ms Gillard and Health Minister Nicola Roxon said budget savings and recent recommendations from the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC) meant the government could now afford to subside the medicines that had been deferred.

They said the government would work with industry and consumer groups in the future to manage any further deferrals of drug subsidies.

Source: Sky News.  To read the full article go to – http://www.skynews.com.au/health/article.aspx?id=667867&vId=.

**The listings include two antipsychotic medications – Invega Sustenna used in the
treatment of schizophrenia, and Saphris, which is used in the treatment of bipolar 1
disorder and schizophrenia.  For more details, see the PBS summary information on new and approved listings here – http://www.pbs.gov.au/publication/factsheets/professional/summary-of-pbs-listings-1-dec-2011.pdf.

The inquiry follows a report in The Saturday Age exposing the high rates of unexpected and unnatural deaths in the state’s mental health wards, and raising serious questions about standards of care and allegations of cover-ups.

Today, The Age publishes new revelations about the use of electric shock therapy in Victoria, with documents showing how hundreds of mentally ill people are forced to undergo the procedure without their consent.

Mr Baillieu’s office last night announced that the state’s Chief Psychiatrist, Ruth Vine, would investigate the way the state’s health services handled all unexpected, unnatural or violent deaths involving mental health inpatients between January 2008 and December 2010.

The investigation follows The Saturday Age’s revelation that 36 Victorians had died in mental health wards during that period.

Dr Vine will examine each hospital internal inquiry into the deaths and whether all recommendations for improvements by health services or the Coroner were acted on or ignored.

To read the full article go to http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/mental-health-care-inquiry-20110905-1juiy.html.