Goanna Academy Raising Awareness and Kicking the Stigma of Mental Health with Mob
More than a third of our mob aged 18 or over have reported having a current mental health condition and is a figure that is significantly higher than non-Indigenous Australians
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ABC News
6 hours ago
- ABC News
ABC Long Read story collection
A deep dive on the issues that matter The Yes In My Backyard movement is lobbying for denser cities and more housing in places people want to work and live and YIMBYs want these homes built yesterday. But the NIMBYs haven't given up yet. By Jane Hutcheon After witnessing my mum's cognitive decline and with dementia now the leading cause of death for Australian women, I can't help but wonder: Will I be among them? By Gary Nunn Sperm donors help many couples conceive, sometimes even becoming part of the family. But what happens if the IVF clinic mixes up the records? By Annie Louey With burnout at unprecedented levels who doesn't dream of stepping away from it all and embracing a career break. But can it solve the problem? By Brett Worthington Anthony Albanese's re-elected government includes a record number of female MPs, but insiders worry there's a long road ahead to promote women to top leadership roles. By Rhiannon Stevens In an age of polarisation and AI, the free online encyclopedia might be more important than you think. By Nick Bryant Some of America's strongest allies are rethinking their relationship as Donald Trump's isolationism threatens to entirely remake the West. By Judith Brett Meet the woman who turned female votes into political dynamite By Gary Nunn Prescriptions for ADHD medications are skyrocketing. How do the treatments on offer stack up?
News.com.au
11 hours ago
- News.com.au
Calls for action after spike in GHB-related ambulance call-outs among young Australians
Monash University has reported a worrying increase in GHB usage among young people in Australia, particularly across Victoria and Tasmania, indicating a worrying trend as the cost-of-living crunch continues to cripple the nation. In conjunction with Turning Point, a report from Monash University revealed a startling spike in GHB-related ambulance call-outs among Australians aged between 25 and 34 in the past three years. Gamma-hydroxybutyrate, better known as GHB, is a party drug that was originally intended as an anaesthetic, targeting the central nervous system and causing feelings of distress, confusion, vomiting and blackouts. Frequently presented as a tasteless and odourless liquid, it's commonly used in drink spiking and, due to its high dosage and undetectable nature, can be fatal. Turning Point National Addiction and Mental Health Surveillance Unit strategic lead and Monash University researcher Rowan Ogeil said it would only take a small amount of the drug to lead to an overdose. 'The difference between the amount to reach the desired effect and an overdose can be very small,' he said. 'Our research team has previously shown that this leads to high rates of overdose or loss of consciousness in GHB users.' According to the study, there has been a 67 per cent increase in GHB-related ambulance call-outs in Victoria between 2022 and 2023. While areas in Melbourne such as the Stonnington and Yarra regions – which are home to Chapel St and its stretch of nightclubs – have some of the highest rates of GHB-related ambulance call-outs, Geelong now accounts for 31 per cent of all GHB-related ambulance attendances. The study found the number of GHB-related ambulance call-outs had increased tenfold in the span of five years across Geelong, expanding from 20 incidents in 2018 to 200 in 2023. GHB-related ambulance call-outs also spiked in Tasmania, with the Apple Isle reporting a 346 per cent increase between 2022 and 2023. Dr Ogeil added that young people were largely the subjects of the call-outs. 'Our research has found that it is young people who are most affected,' he told NewsWire. 'In our study, people under 30 were more likely to require emergency help from paramedics following GHB use.' As the cost-of-living crisis continues to ravage the country, an increasing number of young Australians are finding cheaper ways to enjoy themselves on a night out. According to Drinkwise, 65 per cent of Gen Z want to drink less alcohol, with almost 23 per cent choosing to stay away from the bottle altogether. However, young Australians are also more likely to partake in casual party drugs than other generations, according to the Australian Alcohol and Drug Foundation. Uncover Mental Health Counselling founder and psychotherapist Kristie Tse said there were many reasons young people were turning away from alcohol and towards party drugs, including anxiety triggered by rising costs. 'One of the biggest drivers is the desire to escape or cope with stress, which has been exacerbated by rising financial pressures and uncertainty about the future,' she said. 'The cost of living plays into this, as financial strain can lead to heightened anxiety and a need for relief, which some may seek through substance use.' Penny-pinching partygoers may be turning away from alcohol and heading to cheaper – and in many cases, more dangerous – methods for a night out on the town. 'However, the risks are significant, and what often starts as a way to momentarily escape or enhance an experience can spiral into dependency or harm,' Ms Tse warned. One Touch finance founder Maria Rosey said the cost-of-living crisis may be driving young people toward alternative ways of seeking a 'buzz'. 'As money stress becomes more common, so does the acceptance of substances as coping mechanisms,' she said. 'This normalisation happens through social media, peer groups, and cultural messaging that frames substance use as a reasonable response to unreasonable circumstances. 'The increase in GHB use during the money crisis shows us that substance use problems can't be solved by focusing only on the substances themselves. 'We need to address the conditions that make people turn to substances in the first place.' Better knowledge of drug safety can also be found prominently on social media, which Ms Rosey said may sway younger generations towards swapping out drinks for party drugs, including GHB. 'This generation has grown up with easy access to information about substances through the internet,' she told NewsWire. 'They know way more about dosages, drug interactions, and staying safe than older generations did. This knowledge makes them feel safer and more in control, but that feeling might be false.' Despite young people having better information at their disposal, Dr Ogeil said the increase in GHB-related ambulance calls signified a lack of harm-reduction services. 'These patterns show us where and when people need support most,' he said. 'Rather than waiting for emergency situations, we need accessible harm-reduction services that can engage with people before harms escalate.'
SBS Australia
12 hours ago
- SBS Australia
What this grieving daughter found online is helping thousands in Australia
This article contains references to death. In a cosy apartment in Sydney, Vibha Gulati looks sadly at an old photograph, a cherished memory of her late mother, Bhusan. "She was an amazing person. She was very compassionate, very loving," Gulati said as she recalls people turned to her mother for advice, drawn by her wisdom and natural warmth. Both migrants from India, Gulati and her mother lived together in the city's west for 35 years, proud of their close bond. "We were like sisters and we shared each other's thoughts and feelings. We could actually tune into each other on the same wavelength," she said. But their strength was tested when her mother was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, and doctors said she had just six months to live. (Left to right) Prabha Gulati with her mother, Bhusan, and sister, Vibha. Source: Supplied / Vibha Gulati "It was shocking, really shocking. I was losing my best friend! We loved each other very much and she's greatly missed," Gulati said. From loss to healing After losing her mother to cancer, Gulati turned to The Violet Initiative — a not-for-profit organisation, providing information and support to people in Australia to navigate the last stages of life and the grief that accompanies it. "The [counselling] guide [at Violet] helped me to navigate the grief I was feeling," Gulati said. "The loss was so great and it came in waves. Often, I thought I was alright and then suddenly I would be crying. "I felt the guide really understood and held the space [for me] and did not negate any feelings that I had." Vibha Gulati used the Violet counselling service after she lost her mother to cancer. Source: SBS / Spencer Austad Gulati is not alone. In recent years, almost 30,000 people have utilised Violet and its national network of guides, along with a digital support service. Violet CEO Melissa Reader said: "People come to us saying, 'I just do not know where to start'." "A common theme is: 'My mum is in her late eighties, and dad died a couple of years ago. I'm the eldest daughter stepping into a caregiving role. I'm managing my own family and a career and I'm completely overwhelmed'," she said. "So [we] try to help families and communities be more prepared around the last stages of a person's life." Violet CEO Melissa Reader said the initiative aims to start conversations around end-of-life planning. Source: SBS / Spencer Austad As Australia's population ages, services like Violet are becoming increasingly crucial. More than 180,000 Australians die each year, yet many leave behind no will or clear instructions about their end-of-life choices — forcing families to navigate both grief and complex legal processes. "Up to 90 per cent of us want to be cared for at home for as long as possible with our family and our friends and everything that's familiar to us, and the right services and supports. But that is not what's playing out today," Reader said. "We see people having at least four hospital admissions through the last 12 months, around 33 or 34 days, and we see one in two Australians dying in hospital. That is our least preferred place to die." A large number of public hospital beds are occupied by patients who are predominantly elderly and in their final year of life, according to a 2024 report by The Violet Initiative. It states caring for dying people in hospitals costs around $4 billion annually. Reader said that figure is forecast to rise. "We have about 12,000 people turning 85 each year today. In five years, that is forecast to increase fivefold to 60,000 people. And our health and age care systems are already at capacity," she said. Reader's husband Mauro died of cancer aged just 39, leaving her to raise their three children alone. She understands how hard it can be to face critical care decisions. "We were completely unprepared for Mauro's death. He died in intensive care and it was a very clinical and impersonal experience and quite frightening for all of us, including him," she said. "I really needed help to know how to bring him into a conversation [about his illness] in a way that was okay that he could manage. "Then, we could have done so much more together in the last six months of his life, with far fewer regrets for all of us." Melissa Reader (centre) with her late husband, Mauro, and their daughter, Mya. Source: Supplied / Melissa Reader Turning pain into purpose Reader said her husband's sudden death — and the lack of preparedness to deal with the emotional aftermath — inspired her to expand services to ease burdens for others facing a similar situation. In 2020, Reader relaunched an existing platform as Violet, a not-for-profit and social enterprise. The online resource aims to help more people navigate the end-of-life journey. "Violet is the last colour of the day and the first colour of the dawn. So it's a really lovely reference to the passing of time," she explained. "I don't think we can pretend to wave a magic wand and say everybody will have a death at home and it's going to be incredibly easy. This is not an easy stage of life. It's very complex, it's very emotional and there's a lot of uncertainty. "However, we would like to help people stay in their homes for longer with the right services and support and help families prepare, if their loved one wants to die at home." For those seeking support, Violet offers an initial free consultation, and services are then available via subscription. Mitch Gibson offers personal counselling at Violet. Source: SBS / Spencer Austad Mitch Gibson is among Violet's 50 guides and is proud to provide personal care and support to grieving families. Like most Violet volunteers, she has struggled to cope with personal loss. "I was trying to run my own small business, a yoga studio, and then my dad was diagnosed with dementia and my life partner, Mark, was diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer," she said. "And to say that my world flipped upside down is an understatement." That was 11 years ago, but for Gibson the memories remain vivid and the eventual loss of her partner led to a life-changing decision. Mitch Gibson with her late partner Mark, who died of pancreatic cancer. Source: Supplied / Mitch Gibson "I was only 56 years old, and I decided I wanted to work as a grief and bereavement counsellor and care for carers. As I had lived experience, Violet was an ideal choice," Gibson said. "These are the conversations I want to be having. This is the help I want to be offering. I didn't ask for this to happen to me, but it did. "I am someone who has cared [for a dying person], and someone who has grieved. So why not use that to help someone else?" Violet also offers an AI-enabled digital companion that provides personalised support in multiple languages to people in need. Yaniv Bernstein, Violet's chief product and technology officer, said: "What we have is a really clever, voice-based artificial intelligence agent that talks to people in the manner of a normal conversation." "People can have a conversation at any time, in many languages of their choice. And what they then get is a real assessment of where they're at, what stage they're in, what their needs are," Bernstein said. 'This has to change' Violet chair Kate Carnell warns Australia is facing a looming crisis in how it handles death and dying. She said the country is dangerously unprepared — emotionally, socially and economically — for the realities of end-of-life care. "We are sleepwalking into this century's biggest economic and social crisis. Research indicates that eight to 11 per cent of Australia's total health budget is spent on people in their final stage of life," she said. "As well, only 14 per cent of Australians have a plan in place for the end of life. This has to change! "Digital technology plays an important role in making services and information available to all Australians when they need it 24/7. And that's what Violet is providing." A portrait of Vibha Gulati's mother, Bhusan, as a young woman. Source: Supplied / Vibha Gulati Gulati and her mother were among the few who carefully planned for the end of life. After her diagnosis, Bhusan refused medical treatment and chose voluntary assisted dying (VAD) at home in the care of her daughters, Prabha and Vibha. "It was important for her. She opted for VAD because she wanted control over her death and the whole process of her illness," Gulati said. "She did not want any chemotherapy or radiation. Surgery was an option, but that was also refused. "She managed herself quite well. She was ill during the final week and could not lift herself up from the bed. But until the week she passed away, my mother was going out to cafes and restaurants." Gulati said faith — a mix of Buddhist, Hindu and spiritual beliefs — helped the family respectfully bid farewell to her mother in December last year. "We had chanting here while she was passing away. We did Indian mantras infused with spiritual energy," she said. "It helped her to transition more smoothly and it also created a very calming effect on the mind and on the emotions. So, it works for the people involved and the person who's passing away too." Vibha Gulati is still learning to cope with grief after losing her mother. Source: SBS / Spencer Austad While faith has helped Gulati navigate grief, she said the loss remains painful and hard to bear. "I can feel her presence around me sometimes. So, it's really, really lovely. But that loss is still there and it takes a long time to adjust to," she said. "However, my spiritual belief gives me strength and gives me trust that I will meet her again and that she has not gone forever." Support is available through LifeLine on 13 11 14 or Griefline which provides confidential support on 1300 845 745 and via
