Mental Health Minister supports new community website

Mental Health Minister Graham Jacobs today launched a new online resource for the Hearing Voices Network Australia (HVNA) to assist professionals, voice-hearers, carers and family members in obtaining information on the experience of hearing voices.

The National Hearing Voices Network was established in Perth in October 2005 by Richmond Fellowship Western Australia. Since then, self-help peer support groups have opened up throughout Perth and regional Western Australia, and in New South Wales, South Australia, Queensland, Victoria and Tasmania. It is based on the experience of similar networks which have been in place in Europe for more than 20 years.

The network takes a proactive, innovative and contemporary approach to understanding and managing the difficult dimension of voice hearing, often associated with schizophrenia.

The HVNA website, made possible by a grant from the Mental Health Council of Australia, will effectively expand the network's capacity to provide support services to both consumers as well as professionals in daily contact with voice hearers within the community.

Dr Jacobs congratulated Joe Calleja, Chief Executive Officer of Richmond Fellowship Western Australia, for the initiative and said the new Hearing Voices Network Australia website represented a significant milestone in the hearing voices movement.

According to some studies, between 55 per cent and 75 per cent of the normal population hears voices at some time in their lives. 70 per cent of voice hearers reported that they started to hear voices after a traumatic event. However, the set-back arises when the experience becomes distressing for the individual.

The Minister said HVNA's focus is on recovery and specifically the establishment of self-help peer support groups that look at opening up ways to work with the voices rather than against them in order for consumers to manage the experience and rebuild their lives.

Hearing Voices Network website can be visited at http://www.hvna.net.au or they can be contacted on 9258 3060.

Photograph caption: Marlene Janssen (Hearing Voices Network), Mental Health Minister Graham Jacobs, Lyn Willox, Chair, Richmond Fellowship of WA, Joe Calleja, CEO, Richmond Fellowship of WA, Ron Coleman, Scottish mental health consultant.

Minister's office - 9213 6900

Pictured at the launch from left to right: Marlene Janssen (Hearing Voices Network), Mental Health Minister Graham Jacobs, Lyn Willox, Chair, Richmond Fellowship of WA, Joe Calleja, CEO, Richmond Fellowship of WA, Ron Coleman, Scottish mental health consultant.